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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1)
2019-06-04 Daily Xml
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State Budget

Mr SZAKACS (Cheltenham) (15:29): I rise to speak on the government's continued cuts that are hurting small businesses, workers, disengaged or marginalised young people, tourism and investment in our economy. I speak about the cuts to Brand SA, cuts to the Adelaide Fashion Festival and cuts to Reclink, cuts that tell mum-and-dad investors, mum-and-dad small businesses or young innovative entrepreneurs not to even bother trying to start up in this state, cuts and privatisations that prevent small businesses from growing and thriving so they can employ more people, putting more South Australians in jobs, cuts that reaffirm this government's penchant for big corporate interests like banks and industry monopolies.

This government is not the friend of small business, illustrated by $1.6 million in cuts to Brand SA, the highly successful not-for-profit organisation that promoted our state and our economy on the world stage. This is what Brand SA executive chairman, Peter Joy, had to say about these Liberal cuts:

A great team of smart, young and passionate people doing nothing more than helping local businesses, sharing positive stories and translating government policies into private business opportunities stopped in their tracks. A bad, short-sighted decision.

It is a short-sighted decision that is bound to be a kick in the guts to thousands of small businesses from our great state making a go of it, both here and abroad. It is a kick for Fleet Space, headed by the inspirational Flavia Tata Nardini and based in my electorate in Beverley. Fleet Space designs, manufactures and launches nano satellites to connect billions of devices around the globe. It is a kick to Gripset from Woodville North, a family business generations in the making that has invested in significant people and capital expansion in part because of the loyalty of people wanting to support local South Australian brands.

It is a kick for Cutler Brands in Woodville that has been part of the manufacturing chain for the Lockie seatbelt fastening device. Then there is Swedish Tarts in Findon, in fact, directly across the road from my own electorate office—another business leveraging off Brand SA. To deprive these businesses of this invested brand capital is a bad, short-sighted decision. It is bad, short-sighted decisions like these that seem to be the hallmark of this government.

Another bad, short-sighted decision by this government impacting upon our state's reputation, economy and capacity to create investment and also to encourage new business is the decision to cut funding for the Adelaide Fashion Festival. It is another decision that hurts not only small business but also entrepreneurs, fashion and design students, as well as further depriving consumers the choice of clothing and textiles manufactured locally and according to Ethical Clothing Australia certification.

The Adelaide Fashion Festival was our state's premier fashion festival, supported by a $2 million investment by the former Labor government to take this to the international stage. This festival supported up-and-coming models and designers and showcased the extraordinary wealth and creative talent we have right here in South Australia. But, again, this government does not believe in supporting industry or creativity. This government would rather stifle growth and cut support for these things that support our state.

It takes a lot of courage to put yourself on the line, to take a great idea, to give it a go and to see what comes of it. You would think that the government of the day would support those who do it. Well, not this government, not the Steven Marshall Liberal government. They have turned their back on the small and medium businesses of this state. It is not just industry this government has turned its back on.

It is not enough for them to create a roadblock for investment, but they are going after young people as well. Sporting organisations like Reclink SA, which engages young people, have been told that their government funding of $50,000 a year will be finishing at the end of this month—a lot of notice there. As with Brand SA, the government has no interest in preparing anyone for their cuts—'That's it, no more for you. Pack up your bags. Off you go.' Reclink had to largely rely on community donations and fundraising. This cruel cut, which is a figure of little significance to the government but is everything to Reclink SA, will gut the organisation and have a major impact on their ability to run services to disengaged young people.

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