CONSTITUENCY STATEMENTS

Mr CHAFFEY (Parkes) (10:04): Last month, the Council of Small Business Organisations Australia released a report that reads like a summary of speeches that I've given in this building over the last 14 months. The Small business perspectives report 2026 is based on a survey of 572 small businesses, with a particular focus on rural, regional and remote businesses.

In the CEO's summary, the long list of challenges includes rising costs, falling profits, workforce shortages, housing, child care and connectivity gaps. The report lists where government could make a difference by providing simpler, more consistent regulation; faster visa processing in areas of genuine skill shortage; a coordinated response to housing and child care in regional towns; insurance reforms for disaster exposed communities; and a modern connectivity system.

These issues might sound familiar, because they are. I have raised almost all of these concerns myself right here in this place. I talked about housing issues in May and July, regional manufacturing challenges in June, fuel costs in March, childcare issues in March, telecommunications last November, community infrastructure challenges in October and skills shortages also in October.

I and my coalition colleagues have taken the Labor federal government to task over and over again for the failures to put regional Australians on the same footing as metropolitan Australians. Around 97 per cent of all Australian businesses are small businesses, with almost 770,000 in regional areas. The Small business perspectives report showed that costs have gone up 87 per cent over the past year, profits are down 73 per cent, 48 per cent of businesses are passing on higher prices because of fuel costs and 87 per cent are having difficulty recruiting.

Fifty-two per cent of businesses report housing access in their area is poor, 77 per cent of business owners are reporting that they are experiencing stress, and, terribly, only 18 per cent are confident their profits will go up in the next year. It is a dismal picture, when we're living here in the so-called lucky country. I'd like to put a brighter picture forward.

Instead of whacking higher taxes on houses, savings, investment and small business, the coalition will fight these taxes. Instead of punishing small businesses and families, the coalition will work for an economy that will support them and restore competition. Instead of eating away at our country's economic future, the coalition will make manufacturing stronger and more resilient.

Lower taxes, cheaper power, less migration, more homes, while still supporting skill shortages and putting Australians first—that's what a coalition stands for and what this coalition, in government, will deliver.