Anne Aly (Cowan, Australian Labor Party, Minister for International Development) | Hansard source

I want to thank the member for Tangney for his question but also for his incredible advocacy for small businesses in his electorate of Tangney. It wasn't that long ago that the member for Tangney and I visited a really impressive small business in Willetton, the Willetton Trophy Centre. It's a family owned business passed on from generation to generation, and they've been able to really grow through innovation and being adaptable but also through their incredible hard work and ambition.

That's what small business is all about, isn't it? It's about people backing themselves. It's about families taking a risk and putting in the long hours, employing locals and building up communities. The Albanese Labor government backs in that ambition and that aspiration because we understand that, when Australia's 2.77 million small businesses grow, local communities grow with them. When I speak to small-business owners, as I travel around the country talking to them, they tell me about their challenges and their pain points—things like cash flow, red tape, access to staff, operating costs and, of course, global uncertainty.

That's why, from today, the Albanese Labor government is delivering real change to help small businesses manage pressure to invest and to plan with confidence. From today, our changes kick in. We're making the $20,000 instant asset write-off permanent so that small businesses can have certainty to invest in the tools and the equipment and assets that they need. We're also delivering a permanent two-year loss carry-back for companies with a turnover of up to $1 billion so that they can return to profitability faster. We're cutting red tape and lowering compliance costs by removing a further 497 nuisance tariffs. That's going to save businesses around $127 million a year. We're supporting small businesses to take up digital technology. We're making it easier to access workers with the right skills, and we're providing free access to mandatory standards. That's going to save some small businesses more than $1,600 a year. We're also continuing new access for small-business owners and the Small Business Debt Helpline.

This is a government that backs people who work hard, take risks and build for the future, whether they work for a business or whether they own a business. That's why we're delivering real change for Australians, including tax cuts for workers and sole traders, something that the three right-wing parties voted against. We back all taxpayers on this side of the House. We back families, we back parents and we back small business.

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