Small Business

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (15:33): I rise today to talk about small business in South Australia. As the shadow minister responsible for small business I am always seeking to engage with members of the small business community. Last Friday, I was delighted to chair a small business round table in Parliament House, where I was joined by the opposition leader, the member for Croydon, and some of the peak bodies that many small businesses are members of.

Groups such as Business SA, the Polaris Centre, the Housing Industry Association, the Freight Council, the South Australian Wine Industry Association and the AHA, to name just a few, attended the round table event and put forward their ideas to better support small business in South Australia. They also voiced their concerns about a number of policies that the Marshall Liberal government has pursued during its first 18 months in office.

The Marshall Liberal government likes to paint itself as a party that supports small business, but it's actions certainly show this is not the case. Listening to some of the feedback, both at this forum and in other interactions, from people who are directly involved in small businesses, we hear just how out of touch the Marshall Liberal government is.

Some of the feedback has included the appalling delay in introducing key pieces of legislation, the lack of a strategic infrastructure plan, the high cost of utility prices despite promised savings, the huge increases to fees and charges that have been introduced by the Marshall Liberal government despite promising lower costs, lack of consultation with the small business sector, the lack of a small business minister portfolio—

The Hon. J.E. Hanson: What?

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN: That is right: no small business minister portfolio. That shows the level of interest and real commitment, or lack thereof, from this government. The feedback also included land tax and the incompetent way that the policy was costed by the Treasurer, constant increases in costs related to changes in compliance as a result of state government red tape that must be covered by small businesses, and the continued poor export figures that this state is experiencing under the current trade minister.

This is only a brief overview of some of the concerns that have been raised by the small business sector. There are many more concerns I could list but, of course, I only have five minutes. I will continue to engage with small business all around this state. Small business deserves a voice, given the current minister has gone missing in action when it comes to supporting small business in South Australia.

The previous minister for small business, the Hon. Martin Hamilton-Smith, made the effort to have regular small business roundtable meetings to give small business a direct line to government, something that was very well received by everyone who took part in these events. As far as I am aware, the new minister who is apparently responsible for small business in this state has held nothing similar to the previous minister.

The Hon. J.E. Hanson: Who's he?

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN: Who's he, the Hon. Mr Hanson asks. Indeed.

The ACTING PRESIDENT (Hon. D.G.E. Hood): Interjections are out of order, as the Hon. Ms Scriven would be well aware.

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN: I apologise, Mr Acting President. Without a dedicated small business minister, it is not surprising that those in the community may ask who is the minister responsible.

Like many others, I was shocked that the recent state budget offered no new support to the state's single biggest employer, namely small business. There was no new spending identified in the Minister for Innovation and Skills' department budget which indicated any additional support for small business. Indeed, his department has undergone huge cuts which must raise the question about what support is now available for small business in his department.

Further, cabinet recently made the decision to take away the responsibility of the Office of the Small Business Commissioner from minister Pisoni and transferred this to the Attorney-General's Department. Perhaps this reveals a great deal about the level of confidence in minister Pisoni's ability. However, despite minister Pisoni apparently still having responsibility for small business in South Australia, he does not have responsibility for the Small Business Commissioner. Intriguing.

If minister Pisoni does not want to listen to the opposition's calls for doing more for small business in this state, he should listen to David Bilusich, who owns the Coffee Institute, a small business in the north-east of Adelaide. He has recently spoken to the media about the lack of support for small business in this state and the need for the government to do more. He made the point that small business employs nearly 75 per cent of South Australians, according to his accounting, yet the most recent budget offered them less than 1 per cent of the total spend. That is not good enough.

I urge minister Pisoni to do more for small business in South Australia, to give it the primacy that it deserves, to sincerely engage with them, to start looking at pursuing policies which support small business because, if small business thrives, then the economy of South Australia thrives.