Gabriel Ng (Menzies, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Small Business. How is the Albanese Labor government continuing to support hardworking Australians and their small businesses, and what puts this at risk?

Anne Aly (Cowan, Australian Labor Party, Minister for International Development) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I do want to thank the member for Menzies for his question. We've spent a lot of time in Menzies, the member and I, visiting local businesses in his electorate. More recently we visited the Box Hill markets where we stopped at Blissful Station and met the owner-operator there, Lan, who treated us to some pretty delicious vegan dumplings. Now, I'm not very big on vegan dumplings, but I have to say those from Blissful Station were pretty good.

From Box Hill to Broome, right across Australia, Australian small businesses create jobs and they support families and local communities and economies in our regions and in our cities. That's why the Albanese government is backing Australia's record high 2.66 million small businesses to run and to grow and to succeed. Australians have started 800,000 new small businesses since we came into office. That's a clear sign of ambition and resilience and belief in the future. As someone who has owned and operated small businesses—

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

Order! The minister will pause. The minister is giving information to the House. The Leader of the Opposition and the member for Moncrieff continually going on like that—just give it a rest. I want to hear the minister. That is disruptive; you're doing it to disrupt the minister, but it's disrupting the House. So we'll just pause for a while on that. The minister has the call.

Anne Aly (Cowan, Australian Labor Party, Minister for International Development) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As I was saying, Australians have started over 800,000 new small businesses since we came into office—a clear sign of resilience and belief in the future. As someone who's owned and operated small businesses, I know how rewarding it can be, but I also know how difficult it can be. I just want to take a moment, if I may, to thank the hundreds of small businesses who have taken the time to meet with me and speak with me and share their experiences with me. I want to assure them that their insights have been invaluable to shaping what we do as a government.

Today, I announced an extension of the NewAccess for Small Business Owners program and the Small Business Debt Helpline, delivering small businesses the help that they need, when they need it. It's just one of the ways that our government are helping to ease pressure on small businesses in line with our National Small Business Strategy—the very first strategy of its kind. That strategy outlines how we will work with states and territories to drive a coordinated and collaborative approach to helping small businesses. We're easing pressure on small businesses by extending the instant asset write-off, and we've given tax cuts that have benefited 1.5 million sole traders. We're levelling the playing field by extending unfair trading practice protections to small businesses and ensuring that large businesses pay them on time. While those opposite continue to focus on themselves, we continue to focus on backing Australian small businesses, giving them the certainty that they need to thrive.