Jacqui Lambie (Tasmania, Jacqui Lambie Network) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak to the amendment to the Paid Parental Leave Amendment (More Support for Working Families) Bill 2023. Tasmanian lost another shopfront today, a much-loved shop in Hobart called The Spotted Quoll. My office spoke to the owner this morning and she told us 'I feel like the government is working hard to put us out of business.' Five million Australians are employed by small businesses across the country. Small businesses account for 40 per cent of all business and are the backbone our nation's economy. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, 400,000 small businesses closed just last year and 7,000 of them were in Tasmania. There are 2.5 million small-business owners in this country and they are doing it really tough. Forty-three per cent of them aren't even breaking even. If the government can ease their administrative burden, they should.

I support paid parental leave. It is a great thing. These amendments to paid parental leave give small businesses a choice. The Commonwealth is picking up the tab but, as it currently stands, the administration of the scheme will fall on small business and that is so unfair. Small businesses do not have human resources departments. They neither have armies of accountants on their payroll nor do they usually have lawyers. In fact, the average number of staff they have is just three. If these changes to paid parental leave go through, and they should, they will put more red tape on the doorsteps of small-business owners once again. By the way, this is a scheme that small-business owners have no control over. They can be penalised for not properly administering it and that will put a heavy burden not only on their businesses but also on them personally.

Frankly, small-business owners are no different to other Australians. They are trying to run a small business, trying to do the right thing, they have family commitments of their own, and we're burdening them. Small-business owners will be penalised and held accountable for something they have no control over, which is really bad. As the owner of The Spotted Quoll told my office this morning, 'It feels like the government doesn't give a damn about us.'

Now the government can show they do care. These amendments will give small businesses a choice: they will be able to administer the scheme themselves or hand over the administration to Services Australia, which has 35,000 staff. This will give those small businesses who can't afford the additional burden of paid parental leave a way out. The workers will still get their paid parental leave, but small businesses won't have to administer it. That is all they are asking for. Social Services are great at this stuff. They have been doing it for years. They are already doing it.

I just want to know why the government, when it has the opportunity to cut red tape, is continually putting more and more red tape over them. Why? My question to you is: don't you like small business? Small businesses employ a lot of people and they just want to know why you won't give them a go. It is really unfair. We must give small businesses the choice to opt in or to opt out. We must not place another heavy burden on small businesses.

I acknowledge that the government has agreed to commit $10 million to help small business assist in the administration of this scheme, and I would like to acknowledge my fellow senator David Pocock and his team for working so hard to strike a balance between supporting workers and protecting small businesses from administering this scheme. I'd also remind Australians that it is what a strong crossbench can deliver. My office will continue to work constructively with the government, but they need to hear this message loud and clear, once again: small businesses already have way too much red tape on them; they don't need any more. You are driving them into the ground, and it is not worth it. Otherwise you're going to see the unemployment rate go up, and you're up for election in about 13 months time. That won't look pretty. They don't want the burden, so why put it on them when you have a department that already delivers the system? Why can't you pick this up? There is no excuse for not picking this up. Give them the choice to opt in or opt out. We're not asking a lot. Stop putting the heavy burden on small business, because, quite frankly, they've had enough, and they're doing it tough enough. I don't want to see any more small businesses driven into the ground because of the actions of the Labor government. They've had enough.

Like I said, you go on about having jobs for the country. I'll tell you what: you can eliminate a lot of jobs really quickly if those small businesses close their door. You may want to remember that, because they are the backbone of this country when it comes to business. They are it. We will continue to work hard with the government, but, seriously, the common-sense action would be to let them opt in and let them opt out. We're not asking for anything else. That's all we're asking for, and that's all small business is asking for. They're not asking for much at all.