Fatima Payman (WA, Australia's Voice) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today to congratulate the government on holding its economic round table. But I must also appeal for stronger action to protect Australia's crucial small-business sector. Small businesses make up 33 per cent of our national GDP, yet just 20 years ago it was 42 per cent. Rising costs and red tape are driving the decline, and it matters to me personally. My parents both tried to make their own way into their new home, and I know how tough it is to start and to run a small business.

I wasn't invited to the government's round table. That's fine; I didn't expect an invitation. But, watching the coverage, you'd be forgiven for thinking small business had no seat at the table. So I held my own in Perth last week, bringing together the heads of local business associations and chambers of commerce to discuss the problems. But we kept it solutions focused. One of the strongest ideas to come out of my WA small-business round table was to create a tax band system so that the tax burden, particularly for micro businesses, is shifted towards much larger companies. Another great idea was a $100,000 tax-free threshold, along with the need for national harmonisation of payroll tax. We also proposed that second-year tax be paid in instalments, not upfront, so that promising businesses do not collapse before they've even found their feet. We need small-business bodies directly involved in policymaking and consulted in the formation of new rules and regulations. The WA small-business round table endorsed all these measures as sensible and achievable reforms, and I commend them to you.