Ms MARTIN - 2000-06-20
Territory business, as we know, is dominated by small business. On 5 March, John Fowler of the Small Business Association, predicted 120 000 small businesses will go broke nationally, after the introduction of the GST. On 13 June, Carole Frost of the NT Chamber of Commerce and Industry predicted a drop in Territory business activity over the next 12 months as businesses react to the uncertainty the GST brings for investment, for borrowing, lending, and all those activities that go with being in business. On these figures, around 1200 small business will got to the wall in the Territory under the GST. So I ask the Treasurer, have you done anything at all to mitigate the effects of the GST on small business and the Territory economy?
Mr Toyne: Good question.
ANSWER
A good question, says Whispering Smith. Mr Speaker, if there is an increase in the number of small businesses that face their demise over the next 12 months or so, the Leader of the Opposition can take a considerable share of the responsibility.
The reason she can do that is for the past two years she and her Federal Labor colleagues have done nothing except upset the business community across this country, to create fear and loathing amongst the business community in relation to the new tax system, and done absolutely nothing to try and encourage business ...
Mr Toyne interjecting.
Mr REED: You would not know what business is. Nothing to ...
Ms Martin interjecting.
Mr REED: It is interesting, the disruption. She is even so disruptive, she does not even want to hear an answer to the question that she has asked. I think that clearly demonstrates that the Leader of the Opposition has no commitment to business in the Northern Territory. The Leader of the Opposition has no concern whatsoever in relation to the fear and loathing ...
Mr Stirling interjecting.
Mr REED: Nor has the Deputy Leader. Here is the member for Arnhem who slinks into Parliament House at 9 o’clock, 9.30 every morning, cannot even get out of bed early to get here at a respectable time to put in a full day’s work.
Mrs HICKEY: A point of order Mr Speaker! It is a reflection on the member’s presence or otherwise in the parliamentary precinct.
Mr SPEAKER: I am not sure that you could take that stance. I rule there is no point of order.
Mr REED: Slinks into Parliament House at 9 o’clock in the morning and if they had an interest in the business community and making sure that there were opportunities for business to grow and expand in the Northern Territory, they would have over the last 12 months been encouraging business to get their ABN to be prepared for a new tax system. They do not have to agree with the fact that there was a new tax system to be introduced, but they should have at least acknowledged the fact that the Australian electorate elected a coalition government to put in place the new tax system.
That is indisputable and from that point of view, if they were constructive and helpful to the business community and had provided them with advice as to how they could prepare themselves for the changes, the greatest changes in the taxation system to occur since federation, then that would have been of assistance to the business community. You do not have to agree with the new system but the fact is, advise business that there is going to be a change and they have to prepare for it, and instead what did they do? They have been continually negative, they have been scare mongering, every opportunity they get and every statement that they see that opposes the new tax system – for example, the 112 000 businesses that are going to go broke in the Northern Territory over the next 12 months.
Does she not think that those comments in themselves generate concern in the business community, that they nibble away at business confidence?
If she was aware that Northern Territory business through the surveys that are conducted has a very high level of business confidence compared to the rest of Australia – I think we were the area of the highest level of business confidence - then she would understand that if she was of assistance, constructive and positive in relation to the advice that she gave to business, she would not be creating unnecessary concern. The business community does get concerned when repeatedly these kind of statements are made. Some of the nonsense that she espouses wears off and it does not help the business community for her to be negative. She should recognise that the business community is having to adjust to a new tax system. If she was constructive and tried to help them they would all be a lot better off and so to would the Territory generally.
Mr Toyne: Good question.
ANSWER
A good question, says Whispering Smith. Mr Speaker, if there is an increase in the number of small businesses that face their demise over the next 12 months or so, the Leader of the Opposition can take a considerable share of the responsibility.
The reason she can do that is for the past two years she and her Federal Labor colleagues have done nothing except upset the business community across this country, to create fear and loathing amongst the business community in relation to the new tax system, and done absolutely nothing to try and encourage business ...
Mr Toyne interjecting.
Mr REED: You would not know what business is. Nothing to ...
Ms Martin interjecting.
Mr REED: It is interesting, the disruption. She is even so disruptive, she does not even want to hear an answer to the question that she has asked. I think that clearly demonstrates that the Leader of the Opposition has no commitment to business in the Northern Territory. The Leader of the Opposition has no concern whatsoever in relation to the fear and loathing ...
Mr Stirling interjecting.
Mr REED: Nor has the Deputy Leader. Here is the member for Arnhem who slinks into Parliament House at 9 o’clock, 9.30 every morning, cannot even get out of bed early to get here at a respectable time to put in a full day’s work.
Mrs HICKEY: A point of order Mr Speaker! It is a reflection on the member’s presence or otherwise in the parliamentary precinct.
Mr SPEAKER: I am not sure that you could take that stance. I rule there is no point of order.
Mr REED: Slinks into Parliament House at 9 o’clock in the morning and if they had an interest in the business community and making sure that there were opportunities for business to grow and expand in the Northern Territory, they would have over the last 12 months been encouraging business to get their ABN to be prepared for a new tax system. They do not have to agree with the fact that there was a new tax system to be introduced, but they should have at least acknowledged the fact that the Australian electorate elected a coalition government to put in place the new tax system.
That is indisputable and from that point of view, if they were constructive and helpful to the business community and had provided them with advice as to how they could prepare themselves for the changes, the greatest changes in the taxation system to occur since federation, then that would have been of assistance to the business community. You do not have to agree with the new system but the fact is, advise business that there is going to be a change and they have to prepare for it, and instead what did they do? They have been continually negative, they have been scare mongering, every opportunity they get and every statement that they see that opposes the new tax system – for example, the 112 000 businesses that are going to go broke in the Northern Territory over the next 12 months.
Does she not think that those comments in themselves generate concern in the business community, that they nibble away at business confidence?
If she was aware that Northern Territory business through the surveys that are conducted has a very high level of business confidence compared to the rest of Australia – I think we were the area of the highest level of business confidence - then she would understand that if she was of assistance, constructive and positive in relation to the advice that she gave to business, she would not be creating unnecessary concern. The business community does get concerned when repeatedly these kind of statements are made. Some of the nonsense that she espouses wears off and it does not help the business community for her to be negative. She should recognise that the business community is having to adjust to a new tax system. If she was constructive and tried to help them they would all be a lot better off and so to would the Territory generally.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016