Small Business

Ms DIGANCE (Elder) (14:20): My question is to the Treasurer. Can the Treasurer update the house on the small business payroll tax rebate and its impacts on small business?

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens—Treasurer, Minister for Finance, Minister for State Development, Minister for Mineral Resources and Energy) (14:20): Oil on troubled waters, sir. I thank the member for Elder for her question and her keen interest, obviously, in the small business community, given her background in small business. She is a fierce advocate for small businesses within the government.

The government does what it can to listen to business. We consult with businesses, especially our small businesses. They are the backbone of the South Australian economy. It is something that we want to support and promote. That is why we do what we can to listen to those businesses and promote their interests within the government.

In the last state budget, this government extended small business payroll tax rebates for an additional four years. The concession effectively halves the payroll tax rate for businesses with a taxable payroll of less than $1 million, providing relief of nearly $9,800. I can inform the house that the first tranche of those rebates have been sent to those small businesses across South Australia.

It is estimated that approximately 2,300 small businesses will benefit from that rebate. This is money directly back into the pockets of small businesses—mum-and-dad businesses, family businesses and everyday people who are doing what they can to go out and create activity within our economy by employing South Australians and taking risks in the economy, trying to help grow South Australia. That is why we are doing what we can to help benefit them. It is important to note that payroll tax measures that this government has put in place since coming to office by the end of this financial year will return nearly $220 million to South Australia's small businesses.

That is a dramatic return to those businesses, on top of our job accelerator grants which provide a business with a taxable payroll of $5 million or less a grant of $10,000 for each new FTE position that they create. That is on top of our nation's leading tax reforms which, of course, abolish non-real property transactional taxes and, by 2018, of course, conveyance duty on all commercial business property will be abolished. We will be the only jurisdiction in Australia not to charge conveyance duty on real and non-real property transactions for businesses. That will incentivise our businesses to transact, grow and transition.

I also note that we, of course, do what we can to consult with businesses about what is best for them. We listen to our businesses. We talk to them. We don't announce from on high what they are going to be subjected to: we go out and talk to them because we are interested in them growing. We want them to create new jobs. What we don't do is listen to small minority lobby groups working for very large businesses, and I will name a few, like Westfield, Coles and Woolworths. What we do is talk to the mums and dads at the coalface.

We are the party of small business. We are the party of tax-free concerns. We will be out there fighting to make sure the mums and dads who want to open their retail outlets on weekends, if they can't compete with the big businesses with their big chequebooks, can make their money to pay their rents and pay their wages and do not have to compete with the multinationals. Because, opposite, is the party of the landlords and the multinationals, and we are the party of small business. We are the party that stands up for the little guy, the little guy trying to go out and get ahead.

The SPEAKER: Did you think you were perhaps debating it?

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Well, sir, that's subjective. I would have thought I am just clearly articulating the government's position—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: —but I would imagine, if I was in a failed opposition for 14 years, yes, I would think it was debate.

The SPEAKER: The Treasurer was happily providing us there with information for a long while. I call to order the members for Davenport, Adelaide and Morialta. I warn the members for Schubert and Davenport, and I warn for the second and final time the members for Chaffey, Schubert and Davenport. Member for Adelaide.