Wednesday, 29 July 2026

 Bev McARTHUR (Western Victoria) (19:06): (2645) My adjournment is for the Minister for Small and Family Business, and the action I seek is for the minister to join me in meeting with many representative bodies advocating for small businesses across Victoria. Under Jess Wilson, Victoria will be number one for starting, growing and investing in a small business, but under Ben Carroll it is the worst. Backflip Ben has sat in Parliament for the entirety of this government. Under Labor, Victoria is dead last for business conditions and confidence. The only thing we take out of the gold medal for his cancelling the Commonwealth Games is imposing the most amount of taxes and giving $15 billion to criminals.

We are the only state where the number of employing businesses has not recovered to prepandemic levels. One in four businesses considered shutting shop in the past year, while actual business closures rose by 48 per cent – the worst increase of any major Australian state. Labor has imposed nearly 70 new or increased taxes and charges since coming to office. The recent Council of Small Business Organisations Australia Small Business Perspectives Report reveals some truly shocking testimonies. Just take Michael, the owner of a regional golf club. He says costs have risen so dramatically he can no longer afford to cut the grass.

Then there is Labor’s failure to keep community safe. More than 94,000 retail crime offences were recorded in the 12 months leading to the end of the March quarter. But just this morning Ben Carroll voted against our strong workplace protection bill. Regional businesses are also treated contemptuously. They cannot find workers because families cannot find housing or hospitals. A Swan Hill business owner reported that young people are leaving because of the severe lack of housing in the area. What a surprise, when Labor is hopelessly addicted to property taxes and refuses to release its own Crown land in these towns.

Labor hates small businesses; I love them. They want to control it, regulate it and tax it; I do not. Small business owners take risks. They create jobs and wealth, and they support family, sporting groups and entire towns. They never complain nor ask for a handout. They reject Labor’s pre-election pork-barrelling and fearmongering. They want bureaucracy to get out of their way. A Wilson Liberal government will do just that. A payroll tax cut for 23,000 businesses will be delivered, Labor’s land tax hikes reversed, simplified approvals – (Time expired)