Angie Bell (Moncrieff, Liberal National Party) Share this | Hansard source

2020 has been a difficult year, and we all hope for a better 2021. Australia has successfully suppressed COVID and the economy has begun its comeback. We on this side of the chamber know that if Australian small business is okay then families will be okay and communities will be okay and ultimately all will be okay. That's why we have cushioned the blow with the outstanding JobKeeper program and so many other programs that I'll talk about today as a matter of public importance.

There are 15,000-odd people in Moncrieff on JobSeeker. They know firsthand how the extra support of the coronavirus supplement has cushioned the blow of the pandemic. Small-business operators graduating from JobKeeper were grateful for the swift action that kept them going. They are now seeing their sales pipelines refill as the comeback gains momentum on the Gold Coast. That's certainly been the case for Southport Printing Co. in Southport in Moncrieff. I visited there last week to see them graduating off JobKeeper. Their business is growing and moving into a bigger premises. They're investing. With the instant asset write-off, they're going great guns. I applaud them for the hard work they've put into their business over this period.

Parents all around the Gold Coast have heaved a sigh of relief because of the apprenticeships that have now become available. One of them was at Southport Printing Co. Actually, I think they put three new people on at Southport Printing Co. during this period. All around Moncrieff people stop me in the street, and do you know what they say? They say: 'Member for Moncrieff, can you please tell our Prime Minister and our Treasurer how grateful we are for JobKeeper here on the Gold Coast. Thank you for cushioning the blow, for keeping the doors open, for keeping Gold Coasters in jobs.'

We shouldn't be surprised by the ineffectiveness and the desperation that we've seen on the other side from the Leader of the Opposition, because trying to have a bet each way just never works on significant challenges. You can't have one foot there and one foot somewhere else. You can't have a bet each way. You have to commit. That is the failure and the desperation that we've seen even today in question time from the other side. I would suggest that the member for Grayndler get a new message that's not so obviously bogus to the Australian people. Something a bit more believable, I think, is what we need. In the real world, I have to say, the fake news from the other side has failed. We've seen time and time again in question time the untruths that come from the other side around industrial relations, for example.

The good people of Moncrieff and all Australians are the ones who are delivering our comeback. They are the ones who are working hard. Small business are pushing their businesses forward. The Morrison government has been backing Moncrieff and backing Australians to deliver through an array of measures, some of which I would love nothing more than to highlight today in this chamber. Those on the other side really need to acknowledge that this Morrison government has delivered over $500 billion in response measures. That's right—$500 billion. We've delivered not just to those Australians who vote for the Liberals or those Australians who vote for the LNP. No, we've delivered for those Australians who vote for Labor and those Australians who vote for the Greens. Even those Australians who vote for One Nation or Centre Alliance, or whoever it is they choose to vote for, have also been supported. The Morrison government have not left an Australian behind. We have supported all Australians through this pandemic.

I'd like to highlight a couple of other measures. The $101 billion economic lifeline that is JobKeeper has been vital for Moncrieff. It's been vital for the nation. Tax credits have been vital. The cashflow boost has been vital. Small businesses are so important on the Gold Coast. What about the $200 million in tax cuts that have gone back into Moncrieff alone? The instant asset write-off is supporting businesses—small businesses and medium businesses—and they're spending it in the economy. The instant asset write-off is absolutely being used by small business across Moncrieff, and I'm very proud of that. The Gold Coast is being backed with $10 million in regional tourism funding as well, $50 million is going to business events upon which we rely and $62.8 million is for the local jobs program. The Gold Coast has its own employment facilitator.

As the sitting calendar comes to a close, I know in my heart of hearts that my government and my Prime Minister and cabinet have delivered for the 10,500 small businesses in Moncrieff and for our families and communities. I know that when I go to my coffee shop on Saturday morning. When I go to my butcher, Steve, and say, 'Give me some lamb chops for lunch,' he knows this is the government that has kept his doors open and his business going.

See this speech in context