Gladys Liu (Chisholm, Liberal Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

On Tuesday night, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg handed down the federal budget for 2022-23. This is a budget for all Australians, but today I want to talk about how it will benefit local businesses in Chisholm. By backing small businesses and investing in skills, manufacturing, infrastructure and energy, the budget will strengthen our economy and create more jobs. In previous budgets our government has backed small businesses with the lowest tax rates in 50 years as well as investment incentives like the instant asset write-off. On Tuesday, to further encourage small businesses, the Treasurer announced that a $120 deduction will be provided for every $100 spent on training staff or on digital technologies. On top of this, to encourage more apprentices, we will provide $5,000 payments to new apprentices and up to $15,000 in wage subsidies for employers. I'm thrilled that our government is delivering in these ways for the more than 1,300 apprentices in Chisholm and the more than 6,000 small and medium-sized businesses who operate locally.

Last week in Chisholm it was fantastic to host the Prime Minister and the Minister for Health announcing that Victoria will be the first place in the Southern Hemisphere to manufacture mRNA vaccines. This is the future of pandemic preparedness and it will support our economy's resilience against further shocks. For the same reason, our government is continuing to support some of Chisholm's incredible local businesses. Mount Waverley manufacturer Extel Technologies is receiving more than $1.4 million in support through our supply chain agility improvement project. This will enable the manufacture of leading-edge semiconductor technology right here in Australia, rather than us having to rely on imports.

Chisholm is home to an incredible and incredibly advanced series of local manufacturers. It's great to see that they, along with manufacturers and small businesses across Australia, are being supported in their work by the Morrison government.