STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS

Mr McCORMACK (Riverina) (13:54): Firstly, I'd just like to acknowledge the members of Rifle Company Butterworth in the speaker's gallery and say thank you for your service. Nobly served. Well done, gentlemen—a fine effort.

I want to talk today in my 90-second statement about the situation around small business. Small business is doing it tough at the moment, paying high taxes and paying energy bills that are just going through the roof. This Labor government talks up a big game.

We heard the Minister for Small Business yesterday in question time saying, 'We're listening.' Well, don't just listen, Minister; act. Please act for and on behalf of those small businesses doing it very, very tough. I could be flippant and say that the definition of 'a small business' was 'a large business when the coalition was in government', and it's become a small business.

But this is not a laughing matter. This is a serious matter, and I do suspect that one of the reasons why Labor is hitting small business so hard at the moment is that it can't get in the doors of small business because they're not unionised, and Labor only ever cares about the union workers and trying to make sure— Honourable members interjecting— Mr McCORMACK: You can hear them chirp up now, because, when you actually attack their beloved union members and how they're beholden to the unions, that's the only time they arc up.

Well, don't arc up about that. Arc up about small business.