Page 969 - Week 03 - Wednesday, 21 March 2012
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
European cars that were always out of our price range, but at heart it is a family business.
One could go on to demonstrate the substantial reach of these businesses in the ACT economy. I think of Matt Power and his family. Forty years ago I was Matt’s parents’ paperboy. Our family business was delivering to another local family business that was recycling furniture here in the ACT. Recon Furniture is a well-known landmark. But they were small businesses starting out. They are growing. They have been handed on in many cases. They survive.
The things that they do are things that some of the big corporations cannot do. You just need to look, for instance, at the impact they have in their communities. If you own a small business, particularly in a shopfront, a number of local community groups, whether it be the school, the P&F, the preschool, the local church, the local Scout group, the local whatever group, would come through to say, “We’re having a fete, we’re having a fundraiser, we’re having trivia night, we’re having a walkathon, will you donate a prize?” It is $50 here and it is $20 there, and at the end of the year you can add it up. With respect to those family businesses, particularly the ones directly located in the suburbs but certainly those in the service areas as well, the number of people and organisations that rely on their local family businesses to support their charities is enormous. If you have been in any family business you would understand that.
I refer particularly to the number of people that got their first job in a family business, whether it was in your local newsagency, in your local supermarket or in your local family-owned restaurant or milk bar. The family businesses train a huge amount of our workforce and they move on. So it is important that we recognise that as well.
I reiterate the basic proposition being advocated by family businesses in Australia. These businesses simply want government to get out of their way and let them get on with what they are doing. They have been significant performers across the Australian economy since day one. I look forward to the continuation of their strong contribution to the ACT and to the broader Australian economy, and that is why I have moved this motion.
Part (1) notes the role that family businesses play. As I have outlined, there is $4.3 trillion worth of value in the Australian economy. It is not just small or microbusinesses; it is some of the larger corporations. With an average turnover of $12 million, imagine what, for every business that is turning over $1 million, you need at the other end of the spectrum to get the average up to $12 million turnover in a year.
Part (2) of the motion calls on the ACT government to acknowledge the importance of family businesses in the ACT. And this is not to the detriment of the large corporations and any other small or microbusinesses. This is a particular segment that crosses all of those areas, so we do need to acknowledge their importance. We need to ensure that the particular needs of family businesses are taken into account when considerations are made about government policy.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video