QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE
Dr ALY (Cowan—Minister for Small Business, Minister for International Development and Minister for Multicultural Affairs) (14:10): I thank the Leader of the Opposition for his question. His question goes to listening to small businesses. His question goes to whether or not this side of the House and I as the small-business minister go out and listen to small businesses.
I inform the House, as I did yesterday, and I inform the Leader of the Opposition, that we do listen to small businesses. Over the last two weeks I've been in regional Queensland, as I mentioned yesterday, and in Darwin—one of my many trips around the country where I hold small-business roundtables with various small businesses. I've heard from small businesses in hospitality, in construction, in farming—right across the board.
Small businesses are diverse; there is not one model of small business. They are sole traders. They may employ people.
They may be family owned businesses. It's important to me, and it's important to those who sit behind me on this side of the House, to listen to small businesses. I know for a fact that my colleagues on this side of the House are doing exactly what I'm doing.
They're out there. They're having roundtables with local small businesses in their areas. They're visiting small businesses.
They're talking to small businesses. They're hearing their concerns, and they're bringing their concerns directly to me—unlike those opposite. The only thing that the Leader of the Opposition could do was to cosplay a reel that was put up on social media where he pretended to be visiting a small business instead of actually visiting one.
I reiterate what I said yesterday: we on this side of the House can, do and will continue to consult with small businesses and listen to small businesses, to understand them and to bring their concerns to this parliament. Opposition members interjecting— Dr ALY: Those on the other side can talk as much as they like, but they're not out there visiting small businesses.
There is absolutely no evidence that they're actually out there talking to small businesses.