CONSTITUENCY STATEMENTS

Mr THOMPSON (Herbert) (16:32): You hear all the time in this place that small and medium businesses are the backbone of this nation. Yet, this Labor government's policies keep punching down and turning these small businesses to insolvency or to face creditors. Their livelihoods and their opportunities have been snatched away because of bad policy.

Instead of just getting up and giving a speech about good business, I thought I'd convene a roundtable in Townsville, led by the Townsville Chamber of Commerce as the experts on small and medium businesses. I thought I'd get people together, those that represent these groups and these businesses, from all walks of life. I could sit there and not talk, not tell them how great politics is or how great I am, but listen.

I could ask: 'How can we better support you? How can the parliament—how can the government—better do its job?' It was abundantly clear that the insurance side, the cost of living, the overheads, the margins—everything—is getting tighter and tighter, and people are wondering why they continue to work in small business. They do it because they love it, they do it because they want to leave a legacy, but they also expect the government to listen to them when they have concerns.

We heard about housing and investment. I heard directly from Ben Kingsberry about the sharp drop in investors entering the Townsville market at a time when vacancy rates are already at record lows. It's a serious concern that still, during question time today, hasn't been addressed.

When investment declines, supply tightens. When supply tightens, it drives up rents and makes it harder for local families to find a place to live. This isn't something we just see in the cities.

We see it around the country. If you're doing it tough in a capital city, times it by 100—that's what it feels like in the regions. There are real consequences for poor policy on people and livelihoods.

Livelihoods get put in the bin. People can't operate. It really crushes the community.

Instead of easing cost-of-living pressures, many businesses feel like these government policies are adding to them. Instead of encouraging investment, it's creating uncertainty, and that's the risk we're facing today. Small businesses need confidence, they need action and they need a government that stands up for them, not stands in the way of them.