Topics: Small business collapse under Labor, high energy prices, ACCC supermarket inquiry

 

E&OE   

 

SAM KAYAL, LIBERAL CANDIATE FOR WERRIWA:

Good afternoon everyone. I'm Sam Kayal and I'm here in Western Sydney with my colleagues Angus Taylor, Shadow Treasurer and Melissa McIntosh, Shadow Minister for Communications and Shadow Minister for Western Sydney.  We're here meeting with small businesses to understand the challenges facing small businesses here in Werriwa. Labor's cost of living crisis is hurting small businesses and families in Werriwa. I see that every single day. It is so hard to run a small business these days. Labor has taken Werriwa and small businesses for granted. We are committed to delivering cost of living pressures to small businesses and families in Werriwa. Only a Dutton Liberal Government will get Werriwa back on track. I'm going to hand over to Melissa McIntosh to say a few words.

 

MELISSA MCINTOSH:

Thanks Sam, for the tremendous work you're doing for the Werriwa community, and I've been across Western Sydney today and the story is the same everywhere you go. Small businesses are barely keeping their doors open. Energy prices are through the roof. Manufacturers in Western Sydney, this is the heartland of Australian manufacturing, are closing their doors and there's a threat of more and more Aussie-made manufacturing going offshore. They could have all the solar panels in the world, but they need heavy industry and heavy baseload power. We need 24/7 baseload power to manufacture in this country. So, they are screaming out for support. It’s falling on deaf ears, Labor's given up on Western Sydney, $2 billion of road infrastructure funding cut from Western Sydney. The Albanese Labor Government repackaged this, put in less funding, gave it back to the people as new funding and expected everyone in Western Sydney to be grateful for it. We are not being hoodwinked any longer by the Albanese Labor Government. Sam, you're ensuring that people in your community are hearing that we are here, that we care, that we're listening to them and we're going to get Australia back on track. Thanks Angus.

 

ANGUS TAYLOR:

Well said. Well said, Mel. It's great to be here with both Mel and Sam. Sam, an absolute champion for Werriwa, where he's fighting hard for small businesses and hardworking people right across Werriwa and Mel who's been doing that all across Western Sydney including her own electorate of Lindsay for many, many years. Fighting for what we really need which is to back small business, beat inflation, boost growth, fix housing, all of the things that we know are absolutely essential to get our country back on track, to restore our standard of living and to restore that aspiration that Australians have to own a home, to pay it off over time. For many, their aspiration includes starting a small business, building that small business over time. It's great to be here at a local manufacturing business, INZ, with the team here who are working hard to provide cabinet making services and goods to their community, to builders across this region, but they're telling us a story which is very similar to the story we're hearing wherever we go. It's a story where small businesses are under pressure. Where demand has fallen away. Indeed, in the building industry we've seen here in Western Sydney, close to 50% reduction in demand as Australian’s, as Western Sydney’s, standard of living has collapsed in a way that is completely unprecedented and not like anywhere else in the world. This is far worse than any of our peer countries, an 8% reduction in our standard of living, and it means people aren't in a position to buy a home, to renovate their homes, and to buy the sorts of goods and services that are provided by manufacturing businesses like this.

 

So, we're seeing an absolute collapse in demand at the same time as, as Mel said, as costs are rising, the cost of energy, the cost of doing everything has gone up under this weak Albanese Government. The result of that is that we are seeing a record level of insolvencies of businesses across Australia - 29,000. 29,000 hopes and dreams shattered of small business people across this country under the Albanese Labor Government and we read today, we learn today, that the average small business owner has seen an 18% cut in their incomes. Now these businesses are the lifeblood of our local communities. They're the backbone, they're what everybody relies on, and the small business owners have taken a massive pay cut, bigger than anyone else. Right now, across Australia the pain is extreme and that is what you get with an Albanese Government that has been absolutely asleep at the wheel.  Now talking about asleep at the wheel, we see the ACCC's report come out today and what we see from the government is a typical do-nothing response. That's what we've come to expect from this Treasurer and this Prime Minister.  A Treasurer who has a PhD in blame shifting.

 

He's primarily focused on making excuses and he certainly doesn't focus on restoring Australia's standard of living. Indeed, his own plan, his own plan only has our standard of living coming back to where it was when Labor took government in the 2030s. The Reserve Bank tells us it's 2031. This is completely unacceptable and unsustainable for Australians. Now, we call on him to take action next week in the Parliament, responding to this ACCC report. The report tells us that the supermarket sector isn't a monopsony. It means that there's strong market power for those in that sector. It tells us that it's amongst the most profitable in the world. Now we believe in successful businesses, but it's got to be in competitive markets. We also believe as Liberals in competition and so I've personally crafted with my colleagues - legislation - a Private Member's Bill, which will strengthen competition in the supermarket and hardware sectors. It's ready to go. Labor can come to the Parliament next week and vote on it. To take action, but this take no action government, this do-nothing Treasurer who spends all his time focusing on excuses, I'm sure will do absolutely nothing. But there's an opportunity here for him to step up, to respond to this report and to get serious about making sure that Australians get a fair deal, that small businesses get a fair deal, that farmers get a fair deal and Australian households, long suffering under this government get a fair deal as well. We need to get this country back on track, beat inflation, boost growth, back small business, fix housing. These are the things that we know are essential to an Australia that restores aspiration.  Aspiration to own a home, start a business and build that business over time. Happy to take questions.

 

JOURNALIST:

Just a question relating to supermarkets. Are they gouging consumers? 

 

ANGUS TAYLOR:

Well, what we know the ACCC has told us is that it's what they call, economists call it, a monopsony. That means they’re concentrated, they have high market share, and the ACCC also tells us they're amongst the most profitable in the world. And as I say, I have no problem with businesses doing well. We want businesses to do well, but we also want competitive markets. We want competition. That is absolutely essential for suppliers, for customers, for everyone to get a fair deal and that's why competition policy really matters. Now we as a I say have a Private Member’s Bill ready to go, ready to go and if this Treasurer and Prime Minister were serious about the cost of living pressures Australians are facing, about the cost of doing business pressures that small businesses are facing, then they would vote for this bill, but this is a do-nothing government. This is an excuse-only Treasurer and so we call on them to act. We hope for the best, fear for the worst.

 

JOURNALIST:

Is the ACCC report enough to justify using divestiture powers?

 

ANGUS TAYLOR:

You know what? These are laws, powers to take action against anti-competitive behaviour, against abuse of market power that exist in most of our peer countries across the world and have done for a very long time. They are not an unusual set of laws; indeed, I brought them in as Energy Minister for the energy sector and I've drafted them myself for the supermarket sector and the hardware sector and it's about getting a fair deal. It's about competition. You know, this is a Labor Party that doesn't believe in competition. It doesn't believe in a fair deal. It spends its time making excuses and looking after union official mates. That's their focus and we see that with their complete inaction and getting serious about the lawlessness perpetuated by the CFMEU. I mean, talk about a do-nothing Prime Minister and do-nothing Treasurer. This is a union that has taken Australia to a place where it's the highest cost of building a kilometre of road of any peer country in the world and they won't take action. They won't take action against this lawlessness. This is a do nothing government and a do nothing Treasurer. All good?

 

JOURNALIST:

One more question. Will you support power bill relief if it's in next week's budget?

 

ANGUS TAYLOR:

You know the power bill relief we want, and Mel might want to make a point on it, is lower power prices because that's sustainable. That doesn't go away. That fixes the problem. When I was Energy Minister, energy prices came down between 8-10 % for businesses small, large and households. That is what needs to happen. Chris Bowen is incapable of doing that. Partly because he's completely hopeless. Partly because he’s completely hopeless and partly because he's just not interested. You know the time he's been Energy Minister, there's been no material reduction in emissions, and he's managed to get prices up and reliability down. That's Chris Bowen. He has completely failed. He'll keep wanting to put a band-aid on a bullet wound.

 

JOURNALIST:

But will you support any relief?

 

ANGUS TAYLOR:

We haven't seen any proposal from the government yet so you're floating a hypothetical here, but I'll tell you what we will support is lower energy prices for hard-working Australian households and businesses like the great business we're visiting here today, that uses a lot of energy. They need a better deal and they're not getting a better deal. Mel, maybe you could make a comment on that?

 

MEL MCINTOSH:

Thanks Angus and I don't think Australians have forgotten certainly when I'm out and about in Western Sydney and I'm sure it's the same for you Sam, that Albanese promised $275 less on your power bill on 97 occasions before the last election by 2025. Now we're into March going into April and power bills in Western Sydney are up over $1,000. People are paying $1,000 more. So, you're asking about energy relief. How about meeting the promise that you've made to the Australian people? That is a question to the government, and they're not answering it. I'd like you to ask that question to Albanese, because every person I meet on the street is asking where their $275 less is right now, today. Thank you.

 

ENDS.