Private Members' Business - Small Business

25 August 2025

Ms BYRNES (Cunningham) (13:18): I am really pleased to stand up today and talk about our amazing small-business community and the ways that our government is supporting them. Small business is the absolute backbone of our community. Nationally, they employ nearly 40 per cent of our workforce—that is simply huge. In regional areas like the Illawarra, small businesses are also working hard to give back, supporting those who are less fortunate and lending a helping hand where they can. They're putting their heart and soul into our community, giving back wherever they can. There are businesses like Alexander's Bakery Southside. Family owned by Carla and Kaveh, it sells delicious burek, pastry and coffee in Corrimal and in Wollongong. At the end of each day, their staff box up all of the unsold food from the day and donate it to St Vincent de Paul's Coniston Homeless hub. Perfectly good, delicious food that might otherwise be destined for landfill is instead given back to those who are less fortunate. That is just awesome. Another incredible local venture backed by small businesses wanting to give back.

I had such a fun night at the battle of the businesses last year, a great community event put together by local business owners Adrian and Karlie from Tiny Tins Skip Bins, Orlane from Wollongong Crane Trucks, and Aimee and James from Grechys Boxing and Fitness. This fun fight night raised money for the amazing Illawarra Community Foundation. These guys really do care about our community, and the effort that they have made in raising funds, growing business networks and supporting local people is truly commendable.

The Illawarra Community Foundation is, of course, the wonderful charity organisation at the heart of the i98FM Illawarra Convoy led by the awesome Marty Haynes. The convoy is a magnificent demonstration of the difference businesses can make, with so many participating every single year in the lead truck and motorbike auctions—to give just two examples. Since 2005, the convoy has raised more than $27.6 million thanks to the support of local businesses and our amazing community who back it.

Yet another example of small businesses giving back is the Yours And Owls Festival, a highly popular local music festival by the sea. They run a local bush regeneration program. Yours and Owls have been committed to environmental outcomes since they were established, and it was really great to see them receive recognition last year with one of Wollongong City Council's Rise and Shine awards. The annual bush regeneration initiative helps to clean up our environment while encouraging young people to get involved with the lure of free music tickets. An innovative and impressive way of giving back and teaching love and respect for our environment while also supporting artists and bringing tourism and joy to our coastline. Well done to Adam, Balunn and Ben for their incredible efforts.

These are only a few examples. I could go on and on about the amazing things that our local small businesses are doing in the Illawarra. The Albanese Labor government is doing what we can to back small businesses. Our national small business strategy is the first of its kind to bring governments across Australia together to support our small businesses. Its aim is to help make it easier for small businesses to operate, to innovate and to thrive. Local businesses tell me all the time that they want all levels of government to work together more effectively to provide a seamless and cohesive government environment. That's what our national small business strategy is all about.

Our Future Made in Australia policy—or, as I like to call it, 'a future made in the Illawarra'—is also one of the best ways that we can support local small businesses to grow and to thrive. We are helping small- and medium-sized businesses to compete for and win more government contracts. We are updating the Commonwealth Procurement Rules to significantly increase local businesses' participation, and we are improving AusTender, to help identify Australian businesses on government panels more easily. We've also got our instant asset write-off, our energy efficiency grants, improvements to payment time reports, the Small Business Debt Helpline, the National Productivity Fund—the list goes on.

The last one I want to touch on is really special to me: the Industry Growth Program. I have seen the difference that this $400 million fund can make, powering local start-ups and small businesses to grow, to diversify and to reach new markets. I proudly supported local company Gravitas with $1.5 million under this program to build new warehouses at their Coniston facility, marking the arrival of another high-tech industry in Wollongong and cementing us on the world stage.