Bob Baldwin (Paterson, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Defence Science and Personnel) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Tonight I want to raise the Pollies for Small Business event organised by the New South Wales Business Chamber that connects members of parliament with their small business community. Let me say from the outset that I am no stranger to small business, having been a small business proprietor in both the diving and construction industries prior to coming to this parliament. I would like to thank those business owners who not only welcomed me into their business with open arms but also provided me with an invaluable opportunity to gain firsthand experience and knowledge of the day-to-day issues that they are currently facing. Their generosity has allowed me to bring their ideas and my experiences to this parliament, which will enable me to better advocate for them as their local member.

A big thank you to John Manning and Renee from Manning Shoes in Forster who taught me the art of fitting fine shoes, to which I am sure Tim Connell, the journalist from the Great Lakes Advocate, can attest; to Joanne Jay, the owner of Tuncurry Newsagency, a very bright lady who is always on top of the news and ever in tune with the Great Lakes community; to Michelle Bellamy, the store owner of Gloria Jean’s Coffees in Salamander Bay and, I am informed, also the best barista in the seaside town; to Sandra Ferguson, store owner and glamour extraordinaire of Bay Butterflies Boutique in Salamander Bay; to Kate Murphy and Jim Norris, who kindly invited me back to their flourishing business, Dungog Ready Mix Concrete, years after I had the honour of officially opening the plant; to James and Katrina Lovegrove, Mark Caves and Peter Trappel of Lovey’s Supa IGA Plus Liquor store and their staff, who took the time to show me around their award-winning supermarket a year after I took part in its official opening celebrations; and, lastly, to Donna MacIntyre and her lovely staff and children at Tilly’s Play and Development Centre, who allowed me to indulge in an afternoon of reading books and making toys.

As I said, this is not the first time I have taken part in Pollies for Small Business, yet I was once again enlightened by the stories shared with me by business owners and their staff, about how their businesses are operating. The week reinforced to me the ups and downs experienced daily by small business owners. Many of the sentiments shared with me by these business owners were similar to those raised at the Jobs for Australia forums, which I recently hosted in the Paterson electorate. The insight that I have gained through connecting with small business owners, as well as their staff, has been invaluable. These people are on the frontline each day and are directly affected by the decisions that we as politicians make in Canberra. The very real suggestions and ideas from local business owners about strategies which they think will help to create and preserve jobs in the current economic climate are not lost on me.

One of the key issues brought to my attention was the effect that bureaucratic red tape was having on their business. Let me be clear on this: red tape is a huge burden on small businesses. It is time-consuming for small businesses who just want to get on with running their operations, growing their business and protecting and creating jobs. Government red tape means small business people in Paterson miss out on business opportunities and spend less time with their families. The resounding voice coming from local small business owners is for government to simply get out of the way and let small business do what they do best—supporting our local community with local jobs and quality services.

The coalition has a plan to reduce red tape in Australia to the lowest level in the developed world. While the Rudd government has made much noise about making life easier for small business, after 20 months in government it has managed to achieve out of 27 priority reform areas only one change—national reform of wine labelling. Small business is the lifeblood of Paterson, as indeed it is of the broader community across Australia. Only the coalition is committed to working with all levels of government—federal, state and local—to provide a one-stop-shop online portal for all forms and filings required of local small businesses. My time spent with various small business owners has reinforced to me the coalition’s position that well-paid, skilled and secure jobs are dependent on innovation and enterprise, along with low taxes and incentives that make it easy for businesses to invest in people.

Finally, the power and potential of small businesses must not be underestimated. They are key to Australia’s economic recovery. If jobs are going to be generated in Australia, they are going to be generated by small businesses just like those that I have had the opportunity to connect with. I would recommend every member of this House get engaged in the Pollies for Small Business program to connect with their small business community so that as they come to this House to advocate policies put forward by the relevant government or opposition they do it with a clear understanding of and connection with the small business community in their electorate.