Jason Wood (La Trobe, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Small Business. Will the minister explain how the government's economic action strategy will assist the 12,200 small businesses in my electorate of La Trobe?

Bruce Billson (Dunkley, Liberal Party, Minister for Small Business) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is great to see the member for La Trobe back in this place. At last the La Trobe electorate has once again a great champion for small businesses in our city east of Melbourne. The member knows, as we all know on this side of the House, that we need to actually fix the budget to create the stronger economy that we need and to improve the prospects for our small businesses and our family enterprises.

I shared with this chamber last week the devastating updated figures about the number of jobs lost in our small businesses under Labor. There were 519,000 jobs lost in small businesses in Australia under the previous Labor administration. Just as we know the budget could not keep going on the debt and deficit trajectory that we had inherited, small businesses know that we could not keep going with the policy settings that Labor had implemented that inflicted such pain, such difficulty and such a loss of employment right across our economy.

The good news for those 12,200 this businesses in La Trobe is we actually have a plan, the only plan, to not only fix the budget mess but to energise enterprise in this country to see what we can do decisively do to stop this loss of employment that is causing such hardship and loss of livelihoods right across our economy and right across our continent.

So getting the budget right and creating the right economic conditions is all important for building the confidence for small business to grow, and to create the jobs.

It has been terrific to see the chamber movement, support that initiative. So many of those people are close to small business and know what the Abbott government is doing is exactly what the small-business men and women need: fixing the debt and deficit disaster, building a strong and prosperous economy, getting those conditions right so that people can make the choices to invest to grow their businesses, to create economic and employment opportunities. It is a considered and consistent plan. It is predicable; it is positive; it is the solid platform that small-business men and women are looking for.

Not only are we getting the budget back on track but the specific measures within the budget see us invest in our future capability. In the member for La Trobe will be interested in the incentives; cutting the company tax will help 800,000 of our small businesses. We are ending the carbon tax. The Minister for the Environment very eloquently outlined how it will reduce the cost of doing business and improve people's livelihoods. It will also relieve the cost pressures on our consumers across the country.

But there are also specific programs, like the Demand-Driver Infrastructure program for tourism and the Plan for Safer Streets program. And who could forget the enormous investment in infrastructure: the East-West Link in Melbourne, which will not only carry commerce and commuters but will help inject more opportunities for our nation.

This a budget plan that small business needs. It is the only plan that is on the table. Small business knows they cannot afford more of Labor. Labor should simply get out of the road and let us get on with the job of rebuilding the small business economy.