Angie Bell (Moncrieff, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business. Will the minister outline to the House how the Morrison government is creating the right conditions for small businesses to grow and create jobs as part of our economic recovery plan from the COVID recession?

Karen Andrews (McPherson, Liberal Party, Minister for Industry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for her question. We both know how important small businesses are. On the Gold Coast, it is well known that we are the small business capital of Australia. But there are many small businesses right across Australia, and some of those businesses have been doing it particularly tough over the last few months. That's why our support measures have been such a lifeline to those small businesses. We hear it over and over—that JobKeeper has allowed businesses to remain afloat.

Our government know that small businesses are in fact the engine room of our economy and they are the real job creators that we need to drive our recovery from COVID. That's why our budget is all about getting the economic conditions right. We need to make sure that we have the right conditions in place so that our small businesses can grow, because when they grow they employ more people and that is exactly what we want them to do and that is exactly what this budget is about.

Over the last week I've had the opportunity to visit many small businesses across South-East Queensland, and they have welcomed the initiatives in the budget. Some are taking on new apprentices. Others are expanding due to the instant asset write-off. Others kept their staff during the crisis due to JobKeeper and are now on their feet and expanding and no longer need JobKeeper. They're employing new workers. This is exactly what we want to see and exactly how our budget has helped small businesses right across Australia. It is very obvious that businesses are now energised, and they are determined to make the most of our initiatives—the instant asset write off, wage subsidies for those who need them, the loss carried forward to keep those who have been impacted afloat, skills investment, more support for research and development, better access to digital technology and of course our modern manufacturing strategy.

As COSBOA, the representative organisation for small businesses, have said:

… this is the budget we needed to have and there are some great things in it for small business people.

They have recognised that this is an important next step in developing ways to adapt to the new world in which we find ourselves. Our businesses have been incredibly adaptive during the challenges that they have faced this year, and that's why the wisest investment that we as a government can make is in measures to support small businesses, because they are the engine room of our economy.