Tom French (Moore, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to oppose the motion moved by the member for Goldstein. We all know that the member is never short on rhetoric, but today he is desperately short on facts, and small-business operators deserve better than that. Labor is and always has been the party of the real economy—the workers who power small businesses and the small businesses that power our communities. That's not just talk; that's our economic record. When Hawke and Keating modernised the nation they laid the foundations that every small-business owner relies on today. They floated the dollar. They cut tariffs and opened markets. They deregulated financial systems to expand opportunity. They introduced compulsory superannuation, creating the multitrillion-dollar national capital pool that underpins Australian investment, including the lending capacity that small businesses rely on. And let's be honest: the coalition fought Hawke and Keating on every major economic reform—the float, the tariffs, superannuation and deregulation—and they were wrong every single time. Those reforms created a competitive, stable, modern economy that allowed millions of small businesses to thrive.

The Albanese Labor government continues in that tradition. We back the 2.66 million small businesses that contribute $596 billion to our economy and employ 5.16 million Australians. Small businesses keep our suburbs vibrant. The cafes, the gyms, the clinics, the tradies and the retailers make my northern corridor a great place to live. And when small businesses thrive, Australia thrives. This government actually acts on that belief; we don't just talk about it.

This government has delivered energy bill relief to around one million small businesses. We backed that with $56.7 million in energy efficiency grants that help small businesses to permanently lower their power bills. The member for Goldstein talks about being pro small business, but his party's record tells another story. The coalition opposed Labor's tax cuts that benefit 1.5 million sole traders. They opposed the last round of tax cuts for small business. That's the coalition's record.

This is our record. We're delivering the National Small Business Strategy, co-designed with states and territories to cut red tape and reduce duplication. We invested $33.4 million to strengthen the Payment Times Reporting Scheme so that big corporates can't sit on invoices and choke small businesses' cash flow. We extended the $20,000 instant asset write-off so that small businesses can invest in tools, technology, equipment and machinery. That means tradies in Heathridge upgrading tools, cafes in Hillarys buying a new coffee machine that doubles output, and Joondalup office businesses upgrading their CRM systems, all with immediate deductibility, supporting cash flow.

We also delivered more than $80 million in digital support programs, digital solutions, cyber wardens and the Small Business Cyber Resilience Service, because modernisation is not optional for small business; it is essential. We strengthened the franchising code and invested in the ACCC to protect small franchisees from unfair contract terms and power imbalances, We expanded unfair trading protections so that small operators are no longer steamrolled by large corporations. On workplace relations, we worked directly with COSBOA and employer groups to stage reforms and introduce exemptions for small business. We established a voluntary wage compliance code so genuine small businesses aren't criminalised for administrative errors. And we funded the Fair Work Ombudsman and Fair Work Commission to give small businesses practical, accessible guidance—something the coalition never bothered with.

The member for Goldstein neglects to mention all of this because none of it fits the narrative he wants to sell. But small-business owners see through it. They know the difference between the government that shows up for them and the opposition that simply shows up to talk about them. Small businesses don't want culture wars; they want practical support. Labor delivers on that. The coalition does not.

So, yes, the Labor Party is the party of small business because we back the people who start them, run them, employ locals and keep communities strong. We invest in their tools, their training, their energy bills, their digital capability and their long-term success. The member for Goldstein wants small businesses to believe that this government has walked away from them. But small-business operators are not fools. They know who actually delivers for them.

I oppose this motion. I stand with the Labor government that is carrying forward the proud Labor tradition of supporting small businesses. I stand with the small businesses of Moore and across Australia who deserve a government that backs them every single day.

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