Julie Collins (Franklin, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Small Business) Share this | Hansard source

even though those on the other side didn't have the guts to tell small businesses prior to the election, did they? And, of course, there are significant workforce shortages. We also know that those over there didn't do anything about that for nine years other than cut skills and training.

We on this side of the House understand how important small business is to the economy, which is why we've moved so quickly to actually support small businesses. We want to invest taxpayer money where it really matters. Yesterday we introduced Jobs and Skills Australia legislation, because we want to reinvest in skills in Australia. We want to make sure that local small businesses have the workers with the skills they need to be able to expand. We want to rebuild TAFE. With our cheaper child care, we want to make it easier for parents to do additional hours in those small businesses.

It's also why we've recently changed the Commonwealth Procurement Rules. We want to ensure that small businesses have a better pathway to engage and do business with government. Indeed, we're making it a requirement that 20 per cent of Commonwealth procurement must come from small businesses. Of $70 billion a year in Commonwealth contracts, 20 per cent will go to small businesses. This will provide certainty to small businesses. It will mean that they can invest in their communities and in their businesses and that they can grow and create more jobs in local businesses.

We have already announced that we're going to be working hard, as noted by the Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury, to make sure that we legislate against unfair contract terms for small businesses. We want to make sure that they can negotiate with larger businesses. The former government over there said that they would do it, but nine long years they were there and they didn't get around to it. But this side of the House is going to act, and act quickly, to support small businesses, because we've got their back. We want to support them so they can grow in local communities right across the country and create jobs.

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