Mrs FINOCCHIARO - 2016-05-24
The Country Liberal government recognises small to medium businesses as the backbone of our economy. Can the minister please outline what measures Budget 2016-17 will support to bolster small business in the Northern Territory?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, what a great question for giving me the opportunity to have another go at the people over there, who do not have a business strategy and had to copy ours. It is incorrect when my colleagues say they do not have any plans. I tell my colleagues that they are incorrect because they do have a plan; they have our plan. They sincerely endorse our plan.
As I have asked before in this House, where is the experience in small, medium and large business? I have asked this question before of the members of the opposition and what do you hear? Silence. On this side over half our people have owned, worked in or run small businesses. It is very clear where the support is for small business in the Territory.
A member: Put your hand up if you have been in a union.
Mr STYLES: Yes, put your hand up if you have been in a union. There are a few of us on this side who understand unions as well.
There are over 14 000 small businesses in the Northern Territory and the people who understand how they work sit on this side.
The Leader of the Opposition, on his third attempt, took the leadership from the member for Karama, and he redistributed the shadow portfolios, but what was forgotten? Business. We better have a Department of Business because that is the backbone of the Northern Territory, but he forgot about the backbone of the Northern Territory, which employs 96% of Territorians.
Ninety-six per cent of Territorians are employed by small and medium-sized enterprises. These are the hard-working mums and dads who employ people and pay their salaries to pay their mortgage, keep food on the table, send the kids to school and put shoes on their feet. This is really important and that is why on this side we think about them. We remember them and we ensure they are prime.
The Buy Local campaign is a great scheme that improved on the local development value-add the previous government had. We tried to fix that but it was so broken we could not. So we devised a new plan. Where did that plan come from? We spoke to small- and medium-size enterprises and asked them what they needed. We listened to them. We consulted with over 800 small businesses. Then we designed the plan. We did what we said we would do: consult small businesses in the Northern Territory, because they are its backbone.
We issued the plan and asked, ‘How is this?’ Certain sectors of the community said, ‘You need to tweak this’. So we listened to them and changed things in the construction sector …
Members interjecting.
Mr STYLES: They laugh, but they do not have a plan …
A member: Plagiarism.
Mr STYLES: Plagiarism! They have our business plan. Thanks for endorsing it.
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, your time has expired.
Mr ELFERINK (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, I ask that further questions be placed on the Written Question Paper.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, what a great question for giving me the opportunity to have another go at the people over there, who do not have a business strategy and had to copy ours. It is incorrect when my colleagues say they do not have any plans. I tell my colleagues that they are incorrect because they do have a plan; they have our plan. They sincerely endorse our plan.
As I have asked before in this House, where is the experience in small, medium and large business? I have asked this question before of the members of the opposition and what do you hear? Silence. On this side over half our people have owned, worked in or run small businesses. It is very clear where the support is for small business in the Territory.
A member: Put your hand up if you have been in a union.
Mr STYLES: Yes, put your hand up if you have been in a union. There are a few of us on this side who understand unions as well.
There are over 14 000 small businesses in the Northern Territory and the people who understand how they work sit on this side.
The Leader of the Opposition, on his third attempt, took the leadership from the member for Karama, and he redistributed the shadow portfolios, but what was forgotten? Business. We better have a Department of Business because that is the backbone of the Northern Territory, but he forgot about the backbone of the Northern Territory, which employs 96% of Territorians.
Ninety-six per cent of Territorians are employed by small and medium-sized enterprises. These are the hard-working mums and dads who employ people and pay their salaries to pay their mortgage, keep food on the table, send the kids to school and put shoes on their feet. This is really important and that is why on this side we think about them. We remember them and we ensure they are prime.
The Buy Local campaign is a great scheme that improved on the local development value-add the previous government had. We tried to fix that but it was so broken we could not. So we devised a new plan. Where did that plan come from? We spoke to small- and medium-size enterprises and asked them what they needed. We listened to them. We consulted with over 800 small businesses. Then we designed the plan. We did what we said we would do: consult small businesses in the Northern Territory, because they are its backbone.
We issued the plan and asked, ‘How is this?’ Certain sectors of the community said, ‘You need to tweak this’. So we listened to them and changed things in the construction sector …
Members interjecting.
Mr STYLES: They laugh, but they do not have a plan …
A member: Plagiarism.
Mr STYLES: Plagiarism! They have our business plan. Thanks for endorsing it.
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, your time has expired.
Mr ELFERINK (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, I ask that further questions be placed on the Written Question Paper.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016