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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 10 Hansard (Tuesday, 24 August 2004) . . Page.. 4041 ..

Nevertheless, Mr Smyth happily clasps these figures, broadcasts them and, drawing from those figures, says that there is a decline in the number of small businesses in the ACT. Secondly, he draws the conclusion that that means that the economy is going to hell in a handbag. I think you would have to accept that Mr Smyth’s conclusions are entirely counter-intuitive.

Mr Smyth: Oh!

MR QUINLAN: That is a big word! Mr Smyth referred to these figures at a breakfast put on by Australian Business Ltd, who listed their concerns in relation to the future. What was the first concern of Australian Business Ltd? It was a shortage of skilled staff. That is backed up, of course, by an unemployment figure of 3.4 per cent. We still have, in the ACT, growth in retail sales and we have Austrade telling us that, last year, the ACT gave birth to more exporters than South Australia or Tasmania. So surely, if you were to use these figures and draw the conclusion that the economy is running down, you would look beyond them.

Mr Smyth of course did not look beyond these figures. All of the evidence around us—whether it be those figures or survey figures that we have brought up in this place before—says that the economy is strong, that the economy is going well; but, based on figures of a discontinued survey that are statistically unreliable, Mr Smyth says the economy is going down.

I have to say that that has to be one of the most spurious conclusions drawn from a single set of figures and entirely out of context with all the other indicators. That is important. You have to ask yourself: would you trust a bloke who happily uses such dodgy figures to misinform the public? No.

MR HARGREAVES: Mr Speaker, I have a supplementary question. Can the minister advise how the government is assisting with the development of the number of businesses, particularly small businesses, in the ACT?

MR QUINLAN: I intend to deliver a ministerial statement on the implementation of economic white paper initiatives. I will not take up too much of the house’s time with this, except to say that, since June 2002, $8.1 million in business development grants has been provided to nearly 300 ACT companies. Since 2001, more than 12,000 business contacts were made with the advisory and information services the ACT government funds through the Canberra Business Advisory Service—the one that we fund.

We will provide $1.2 million in funding for the business acceleration program over the next four years. We have provided $567,000 in funding for the employment ready program over the next four years. We have funded the highly successful Canberra Business Advisory Service. Mr Speaker, you have to agree with two things: first, that this government, more than any previous government, has taken more initiatives to build small business in the ACT; and, secondly, that this government is presiding over an economy in very good shape.

I think Mr Smyth has said that, based on one set of figures, he will not support the appointment of a small business commissioner. We will have that debate, and I suppose

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