Mr HAWKE (Mitchell) (15:56): There is a lack of engagement with this MPI by this side today because, as I always say about MPIs, 'This would have to be the single worst MPI in the history of the Federation.' And that always tends to be true when I say it. I looked at the MPI when I first got it, and I thought, 'What is this actually all about? What is the Labor Party getting at?' After the first three speakers from the Labor Party, I know even less what they are getting at. Is it about workers and conditions? Is it about the member for Bendigo's glass half-empty 'the world is heading off the precipice' monologue? Is it about the member for Grayndler's shipping obsession, although he was the single most important figure in shutting down the Australian shipping industry? But he wants to see the resurgence of the Australian shipping industry by getting rid of all foreign vessels. Or is it about what the member for Gorton was obtusely saying? It is like in Shakespeare's play: 'The lady doth protest too much.' The Labor Party is protesting just a bit too much about small business today. What we saw in the House today was that Labor suddenly discovered small business! Their small business spokesperson—we do not know who it is— Mr Craig Kelly: Who is it? Who is it? Mr HAWKE: well, we do not know who it is; we are still working that out—came forward today to ask a question for the first time in 529 days. They doth protest just a little too much about small business. They are the party of small business, we are now being led to believe. You have discovered it! Small businesses are only most of the businesses in Australia. They only generate most of the employment in Australia. But you have suddenly discovered them and you have brought up small businesses here today in an MPI. Is this MPI today about removing the red-tape and regulatory burden from small business? Is it about introducing some flexibility into the industrial relations system? The most important thing that a small business can have is some flexibility in the industrial relations system, recognising they are not big corporations, they are not big business and they are susceptible to rigid and inflexible labour market conditions. Is it about giving a small business owner a hand up so they can get on with employing people, creating jobs and employment? No, it is not. Instead, we had monologues of absolute nonsense from the Labor Party, a mishmash of nothing—which, really, summarises their position in today's world. What are they all about? They do not really know. How are they going to do it? Somehow. 'We've got all the promises in the world, we've no method of delivering them and we don't really know what we're all about.' So today's issue of the day for the Labor Party is small business. They have discovered it! They have brought it forward: 'We're going to be about small business for today.' Mr Irons: They just need a road to get them there! Mr HAWKE: If any road will get you there, as the member for Swan points out. If you do not know where you are going, if you do not know where you will get to, any road will get you there! But I can tell you one road that you will not travel. There is one road that the Australian Labor Party will not travel, and that is being on the side of a small business owner in Australia today. It would not be on the side of the self-employed person. It would not be on the side of the tradie in Western Sydney who is now his own employer and entrepreneur and who has been developing for some time. The Howard government saw the number of self-employed people exceed the number of trade union members for the first time in Australian history. That change had been coming for a long time. So, Tony's tradies understand that this budget is absolutely about them. They understand that we are about self-employed people, about family businesses and about small and micro businesses, and that we are really delivering policies that will matter and will change their lives. That is why the instant asset write-off program is going to work for small business, because it is an amount that matters. It is not $5,000, it is $20,000! And $20,000 is a reasonable, practical amount for small business to be able to invest in their business and return that cash flow to them. Of course, $5,000 did not recognise the reality of the modern economy. We heard about the one per cent tax cut from the member for Gorton. This was yet another of the Labor government's tax measures that was never legislated. Once again, it was government by press release, government by fiat and government by overinflated statement. 'This is the most historic reform we will ever see: we are going to give a tax cut!' Never mind that they never actually did it. Never mind that they never legislated it and that they never got to do it. This government has said that we will cut taxes to small business and that we will change the company tax rate, and we welcome that on this side of the House—recognising that there is a difference between small and large business, recognising that they do need to be able to compete and recognising that we have an opposition in this country who are hell-bent against them and against reform that will improve the conditions for small and family businesses in Australia today. What we need in this place is less of this rhetorical nonsense that we hear in these MPIs and more support for genuine policy measures that will help small business. Those on that side should get off their negative, pessimistic rhetoric about our economy and get on the side of small business and on the side of this government, which is helping it.