Angus Taylor (Hume, Liberal Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Small Business. A Canberra small business owner has told Nine News that he's worried that the government's industrial relation changes will mean he has to increase prices. He said it just means that the prices of your schooners, your pints and your parmies are going to go up. Will the minister guarantee that small businesses will not have to increase prices as a result of Labor's extreme industrial relations changes?

Julie Collins (Franklin, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Small Business) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member opposite for his question. Small businesses, as I said, have been doing it tough and we do know that they are facing rising increases in their costs. We do know that they are dealing with rising energy prices and that they are dealing with rising interest rates. We also know, of course, that they are having trouble attracting staff. We know that there are massive staff shortages, which is why we're also moving—in terms of increasing skilled migration and in terms of increasing fee-free TAFE places—to make sure that we have the workforce available for small businesses.

We're also, of course, changing industrial relations laws to make it easier, simpler and cheaper—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Deputy Leader of the Opposition will cease interjecting.

Julie Collins (Franklin, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Small Business) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

for small businesses to be able to engage in enterprise bargaining. That is what we are doing. We want to make sure that small businesses get the benefits of the productivity increases that come from bargaining with their employees. That is what the Secure Jobs, Better Pay bill is all about. It's also about making sure that the workers in these positions are able to get their first pay rise in almost a decade.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The minister will resume her seat. Has the minister concluded her answer?

Julie Collins (Franklin, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Small Business) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

She has concluded her answer.