Page 4075 - Week 13 - Thursday, 10 November 1994
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Mr Deputy Speaker, I believe that the Government has ensured that ACT businesses are provided with the best possible environment within which to grow and to prosper. I reject the inherent criticism in Mr Stevenson's MPI that refers to unwarranted taxes, red tape and other impositions. I consider that small business in the Territory has done well and will continue to do well. The reason for that, of course, is that small business is extremely important to the economy of our Territory. It is a major employer. There is no doubt in my mind that small to medium business will be the engine of growth as we come out of the recession, so it ought to be supported. Making silly statements about unwarranted taxes, red tape and other impositions obscures what is actually happening and the assistance that is actually flowing to those businesses.
MR STEFANIAK (3.48): The Chief Minister says it; I hope that she believes it. I do not know that she necessarily understands it, though. Unfortunately, some of the greatest concerns of Canberra businesses are unwarranted taxes, red tape and other impositions and restrictions that act as penalties on them and as brakes to development and production in the ACT. Of course, Chief Minister, we are only a reasonably small cog in the national scale; but there are a number of things we can do that can assist business here, especially small business.
Mr Stevenson is not necessarily raising the hoary old chestnut again. It is, as you have indicated, a very important part of the ACT economy. The economy is based on small business and, if small business does not prosper, we do not prosper; it is as simple as that. It is where our future employment is going to come from. It is where our kids will be getting jobs. One only needs to go out to the suburban shopping centres to see the number of small businesses that have closed. One only needs to see the hardship caused to a family when a small business closes. One only needs to understand what small business goes through to understand that there is a need for reform, and there are a lot of things we can do here in the Territory to make things better. When I was out of this Assembly I acted for a number of small businesses that went broke. Sure, some of the reason for that might have been the economy; some of it might even have been their own fault. But a lot of impediments in their way were put there by government. That may not necessarily have made them go broke; but it certainly caused them to devote a lot of time, sometimes needlessly, to the red tape, when they could have been concentrating on their business.
The Chief Minister has mentioned the Economic Priorities Advisory Committee and referring matters to it. I think it is indicative of the state of small business in the Territory and of the problems it faces, and perhaps of the lack of real appreciation by this Government, that certain members of that committee are no longer there because they felt that it was a futile exercise. I sadly quote a letter of resignation from one of its members, George Snow, who resigned on 5 October 1993. After some preliminary comments in relation to his regret at doing so and his thanks to the chairman at the time, Professor Gruen, he said that it was a difficult decision for him because he had been committed to a consultation process between the private sector and the Government and he had been a member of various government committees for the past 10 years. These committees had sought to advise government on various aspects of economic and development policy. He stated:
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