Aaron Violi (Casey, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

'The proof is in the pudding,' as the Minister for Small Business said just then. Let me give the minister some proof: nearly 15,000 small businesses were insolvent across the country last year. The proof is in the pudding. That's up 33 per cent on the previous 12 months. That's a big statistic; it's a big number. But behind those 15,000 proof-is-in-the-pudding failures of this minister is a family. It is a husband and a wife who have risked it all to chase their dream. They've put it all on the line to provide a better life for their family, for their children. They have taken risks, they have risked it all, and 15,000 small businesses have become insolvent. They've had to go broke and potentially lose their house.

And what is the comfort that the Minister for Small Business just gave to those business owners that lost it all in the last 12 months? 'Maybe they were dodgy'! So, if you were one of those small businesses in Casey that took a risk and gave it all and unfortunately it didn't succeed in the last 12 months, the Minister for Small Business in the Albanese Labor government wants you to know that maybe you were dodgy. Maybe it was your fault. There's no-one to blame in the Albanese Labor government. It couldn't have possibly been this minister. It had to be you. What does that really say about this government? This is a minister that is supposed to be responsible for helping the Australian people, for helping small businesses that risk it all to get ahead. And her answer to you is that you're dodgy. It's your fault. Why is the Minister for Small Business even the minister if she does not care about Australian small businesses?

Small businesses give so much back to our community. I'm very lucky to have so many sporting clubs in the electorate of Casey. On the side of all those sporting club fields are sponsorships, and they're not sponsors from big business. They are sponsored by small businesses right across the country that are the heart of the community. They give back. So, if small business is not strong, our communities will not be strong. And, if our communities cannot be strong, then our country will not be strong. But this government does not care about that. Let's be clear. There is a reason that this government does not care about small businesses in Australia.

Exactly right! They cannot unionise a small business. The secret given by the minister who has such disrespect for small businesses is that there is a compact between big business in Australia and the union movement, and the union movement then supports the ALP. The small businesses of Australia cannot be unionised, so the ALP and this government do not want to support them. They want to run them out of business so they can centralise it with unions. We know this and we see this, and, as the minister herself said, the proof is in the pudding. The proof in the pudding is 15,000 small businesses becoming insolvent in the last year alone. Australians have suffered.

The real question and the real fear for the Australian people is that it was bad in 2025. We saw an interest rate rise this week. It's going to get a lot worse for small businesses across the country. The reason it's going to get worse is that input costs are up, led by energy. Inflation is up, and interest rates are up. Rule No. 1 with any addiction and any problem is to recognise that you have an addiction and that you have a problem. And we have seen this week that this prime minister and this treasurer refuse to acknowledge the spending addiction that they have when it comes to public spending, which is going to make the situation worse for every Australian and every small business. It is going to send costs up. Their borrowing costs are going to go up. The cost of their raw materials is going to go up. That means they have two choices: put their prices up and make it more expensive for consumers, or they are going to have to go out of business. It is not their fault. It is the failure of this government. But just remember, small business owners, that if you go out of business this year it's not the government's fault. Maybe you were dodgy. What a disgrace by this minister that doesn't— (Time expired)

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