Bruce Billson (Dunkley, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Small Business, Competition Policy and Consumer Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I was pleased to join my friend and colleague the New South Wales shadow minister for small business and regulatory reform, Don Page, at the Australian Small Business Champion Awards 2010. It was quite interesting that Mr Page and I were the only elected representatives there. Not one member of the Labor Party, at a state or federal level, could be bothered to attend this very prestigious awards ceremony. Eight hundred small business operators right across the economy were there to have their successes shared and discussed and to be recognised.

It was originally the brainchild of Steve Loe, the Managing Director of Precedent Productions. Steve comes from a family that migrated to Australia from Cyprus, and he saw all the toil and tribulation of his family’s small business throughout its successful career and thought, ‘It is about time someone stopped to say thank you.’

Some of the award recipients observed that the coalition was there in force. I was there on behalf of our leader, Tony Abbott. I was not one of the support dancers for the Lady Gaga support act—only my footwear held me up from that—but I was happy to be there to make some of the presentations and to be part of a really successful evening.

The simple point is that there are small businesses right across Australia that make opportunities and create wealth and vitality for communities, and they want to be recognised. They are people doing extraordinary work. I think there is a need for a national day of recognition for small business and family enterprise to say thank you for the wealth, the prosperity and the support you provide for communities. Thank you to Steve—(Time expired)