Melissa McIntosh (Lindsay, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It's always a pleasure to spend time in Llandilo in my community. The people there have really hardworking values, and Eather Group, a small business there, is a perfect example of this. Peter and Sally-ann Eather have built their family owned company over the past 15 years into a business that's not just about trucks, machines and earth moving; it's about innovation, sustainability and the circular economy. Their focus is on waste not, want not and is about finding sustainable solutions and replacement materials to drive productivity while caring for our environment. They've won awards both here at home and overseas for their sustainable practices and were national winners of the 2024 Telstra Best of Business Awards. This is the future of Australian industry, and it's right in my community in Western Sydney.

What also makes Eather Group so remarkable is their commitment to people. They're an employer of choice for diversity. Around 25 per cent of their workforce are First Nations Australians, and around 35 per cent are women. That's well above the industry average and an extraordinary achievement in a sector still dominated by men, and it shows the strength that comes when businesses back their people and invest in their community.

But, despite their innovation and leadership, Eather Group, like so many other small and family owned businesses in Western Sydney, is under immense pressure. They told me firsthand about the challenges they face, the slowdown in housing construction, pipeline blockages, and a critical shortage of skilled drivers and workers. These aren't abstract policy debates; they are real, on-the-ground issues that impact whether businesses can employ locals, grow and keep Western Sydney moving. What's Labor's response to this? A productivity roundtable in Canberra, another carefully choreographed talk-fest behind closed doors. Businesses don't need more PR exercises; they need practical action that cuts red tape, delivers a real skills pipeline and gets housing construction moving again.

Under Labor, businesses are going insolvent at record rates, energy prices are higher, construction is slowing and Australians are paying more for almost everything, from health to housing, while productivity flatlines. These failures are hitting Western Sydney harder than most, yet through all this, small businesses, family businesses and hardworking Australians like those in either group are showing exactly what makes our community strong—resilience, innovation and determination. They are a generational business and they're working hard to get ahead, employing locals, leading the way on sustainability and diversity. Llandilo in Western Sydney is the heartland of our nation, with an international airport about open and a region central to Australia's economic future. We need governments that back businesses like Eather Group not hold them back.