David Pocock (ACT, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

'Canberra' is often used as a synonym for the politicians who gather here, but it is so much more than that. This great city is full of smart, forward-thinking people working to make Canberra a world-leading innovation hub. We should be doing everything we can to support them, and I'm not talking about handouts. I'm talking about the government being open to competitive local businesses through a proper procurement process.

There are 2.5 million businesses registered and trading in Australia and yet only 12,000 of those businesses receive government contracts; that's less than 0.5 per cent. Part of the reason for this is that foreign companies are being preferred over Australian competitors in government procurement. That isn't because the foreign company is cheaper or able to offer a better service; often it's because they're simply familiar to government departments. We are missing opportunities to create new and thriving local industries. I've heard stories of contracts being awarded to foreign companies to start developing capabilities that have already been developed here by local companies. Canberra based businesses are sometimes not even given the opportunity to bid for contracts. This has to change and it can change. The owners of these businesses aren't asking for special treatment, they just want an equitable environment in which they can bid for government contracts. It's on us in this place to give that to Australian businesses.