Stuart Henry (Hasluck, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is addressed to the Minister for Small Business and Tourism. Would the minister inform the House how the government’s Work Choices reforms have encouraged greater flexibility amongst small businesses? Would the minister confirm that many small businesses are anxious about a return to centralised wage fixing?

Fran Bailey (McEwen, Liberal Party, Minister for Small Business and Tourism) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Hasluck for his question and for his very strong support of small business. I can advise the member for Hasluck and all members of the House that Work Choices has really delivered strong growth in jobs—in fact, 175,800 jobs to be specific. As well, the flexibility of Work Choices has enabled small businesses to negotiate 24,000 AWAs with their employees. This is where 24,000 small business people have sat down with their employees and negotiated for their mutual benefit.

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

Fran Bailey (McEwen, Liberal Party, Minister for Small Business and Tourism) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The opposition obviously does not want to listen, but many in industry are very determined and very supportive of Work Choices. Let me tell the House what Mr Bill Healey, the Director of the Australian Hotels Association, says:

WorkChoices will mean that business operators will have greater incentive to move out of the current one-size-fits-all award system and negotiate arrangements that are better suited to their business, the local economy and needs of the worker.

I am also asked by the member for Hasluck if small business is anxious about the prospect of having collective bargaining reimposed on them. They certainly are. Not only that, but there are 24,000 people currently employed in small business and the Leader of the Opposition will just take their AWAs and rip them up. As well as that, the 1.2 million small businesses know that the Leader of the Opposition plans to reintroduce unfair dismissal legislation onto 1.2 million small businesses, in stark contrast to what this government stands for with small business. It is no wonder, Mr Speaker, that the Leader of the Opposition proudly boasts—

Warren Snowdon (Lingiari, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Northern Australia and Indigenous Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Snowdon interjecting

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The member for Lingiari is on very thin ice!

Fran Bailey (McEwen, Liberal Party, Minister for Small Business and Tourism) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

‘We have never pretended to be a small business party, the Labor Party.’ And small business knows it.