Thursday 5 February 2026

House of Representatives

This is a message for all of the small and family businesses, the sole traders and the self-employed. We just want to say, 'Thank you, and keep going.' We know that you're suffering directly as a consequence of higher interest rates because the Albanese government can't control spending and is driving inflation.

We know you're living the consequences of red-tape inflation going up and stifling your capacity to grow your business every day. You're living the consequences of industrial relations inflation, where the costs the government is trying to push onto you as an employer are making it harder and more complex to do simple things like pay your workers.

Every step of the way, people in small business in this country are facing big challenges. That's why we have seen a record number of small businesses collapse under the Albanese government. Since the Albanese government was elected, 41,000 small businesses have disappeared through insolvency—and, with those, livelihoods. Last year alone, more than 14,000 small businesses went insolvent.

It is a record for Australia, and it is not one that anybody should be proud of. This is the legacy of a reckless government that simply can't control its spending but can always find a way to get its hand and shove it into the pockets of households and small businesses. Now is the time for good people to stand up and call it out.