David Smith (Bean, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

It's Monday morning of the last sitting week of the year. The government is getting on with delivering its promises to the Australian people, and here we are, once again, responding to a private member's motion by the member for Goldstein, with all of the accompanying characteristics of ardour and illusion. Talk about ending the parliamentary year in a blaze of glory!

I want to acknowledge my colleagues who spoke before me today in this debate, and pay credit to their efforts to set the record straight on this government's support for small and family businesses. Let me be very clear. This government has a strong record of support for small and family businesses right across Australia. This is a record support in immediate and practical terms that I see every day as I travel around my electorate of Bean talking to small business owners and their employees. This is what we are delivering for small and family businesses. The National Small Business Strategy is the first of its kind to bring governments across Australia together in support of our small businesses. Through this, we are supporting the creation of efficiencies and the reduction of the duplication of effort. We are providing actionable policies and programs to support local businesses right across Australia, elevating small businesses in the government decision-making process at each level of government.

An area of challenge and opportunity for all businesses, but particularly small and family businesses, is in the cyber domain. The risks and dangers caused by exposure to ongoing and evolving threats is a real and present danger for small and family businesses. But we cannot allow these risks to get in the way of opportunity. Digital technology is key to a strong, productive and resilient economy. Small and family businesses need protection and support to take advantage of this technology. Our government recognises this, and we have taken action. We have introduced digital supports, including more than $80 million investment in the Digital Solutions program, the Cyber Wardens program, the Small Business Cyber Resilience Service and the Cyber Health Check tool. Our $18.6 million Digital Solutions program helps small businesses adopt digital tools and grasp the opportunities that going online offers. It provides support in the areas of websites and selling online, social media and digital marketing, use of business software, cyber security and data privacy. Our $23.4 million Cyber Wardens program helps small businesses build resilience against online threats, and our $11.1 million Small Business Cyber Resilience Service provides free, one-on-one tailored support for small businesses to prevent and recover from cyberattacks.

The responsibility of all of us in this place is not just to criticise but to offer an alternative action or arrangement. Let's look at what those opposite have actually offered for small and family businesses. One thing they did do was to stand in the way of a tax cut which was of benefit to 1.5 million sole traders. In fact, they didn't just didn't stand in the way of a tax cut; they, through the then-shadow treasurer, the member for Hume, called our plan a 'cruel hoax' without proposing an alternative view. In fact, the only plan they announced to support small and family businesses was to offer some personal income tax cuts. I wouldn't quite categorise that as an affirmation that those opposites stand with small and family businesses.

We are getting on with the job of helping small and family businesses to grow and prosper. We want to see them become medium and large businesses. The member for Goldstein is right about one thing. Small and family businesses create jobs and keep our communities strong. The Albanese government will always stand up for the engine room of the Australian economy and stand side-by-side with small and family businesses.

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