Gavin Pearce (Braddon, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

When we look at other nations—their ongoing struggles and how they managed their responses to both the health crisis and the economic crisis—Australia's got a lot to be grateful for. The member for Wentworth certainly pointed that out in no uncertain terms in his address. It's a remarkable feat to have outperformed all other advanced nations in the OECD when it comes to our economic management of COVID-19. But what's most important is the economic safety net that the Morrison government has provided, saving tens of thousands of jobs and thousands of businesses right across Australia. Government knows that there's more to be done, and we get that. We all get that. We know that we're not out of the woods yet.

We now know that the recovery phase and the economic management strategy are well underway, but I think it's important today, particularly under this topic, that we recognise how far we've come. More than half a million businesses, employing more than two million Australians, have already graduated off JobKeeper. In my great state of Tasmania, around 68,900 employees received payments over the first phase of JobKeeper. Compare that to the second phase, which was just 24,100. That's a significant difference. That represents a decrease of 65 per cent, so 65 per cent of businesses in Tasmania who accessed the JobKeeper program are now back on their feet and working towards a positive future. The program's done its job.

Just a few weeks ago, the Treasurer was in the electorate of Braddon. It was a great trip, and the mood in the street, right across the North West, the West Coast and King Island, was positive. In fact, the Deloitte December quarter report suggests that Tasmania's business confidence is amongst the highest in the nation. The Treasurer and I started our day by visiting some great businesses.

One business, Mead Con, owned by Tim and Vonette Mead, employs their daughter, who's a third-year apprentice. Her name's Elsie. They're all positive. They've got about 70 employees and about 14 apprentices. In fact, they've employed three apprentices just this year. That represents confidence. Confidence is as infectious as the COVID-19 virus, and if confidence isn't firmly at the feet of our businesses then they have no hope. Confidence is strong in the North West. Tim said in no uncertain terms that confidence has never been stronger and his businesses have never been stronger. He's getting orders 12 months out and he wonders how he'll have enough employees to fill the jobs that he already has. He's even bought a new 2½ tonne forklift under the new instant asset write-off legislation that we released—a program that has allowed businesses in my electorate to purchase and bring forward expenditure on their fleet, making their bottom line that much more effective.

From there we went to Darren at Derrico Cycles. The mountain bike scene in Tasmania has taken off, with tracks around the place like Derby, Hollybank, Maydena, Wild Mersey, Penguin and Dial Range, and with $2½ million the federal government has supported the West Coast mountain bike trails, covering Oonah Hill, Sterling Valley and Montezuma Falls. This has seen Darren's business become as busy as it's ever been, according to Darren.

The other side is talking about the failure to provide certainty to workers and small business. I certainly disagree with that. In fact, I would maintain that the government has been completely open and transparent in our approach to this economic recovery. The government has always said that JobKeeper was a temporary program designed to be wound back without tails attached, as economic confidence and momentum rebuilds in our economy.

Other measures have included income tax cuts and the JobMaker hiring credit. Around 41,400 taxpayers in Braddon have benefited from tax relief this year. We've seen 9,700 businesses in Braddon eligible for the instant asset write-off, which Mead Con used to purchase their new forklift. Business confidence is certainly high along the north-west coast of Tasmania and will remain high as they work towards a positive future.

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