Mrs DE-ANNE KELLY (3:34 PM) —My question is addressed to the Minister for Small Business and Tourism. Can the minister inform the House of any information that shows regional tourism is recovering from the events of September last year? Minister, what does this recovery mean for small business employment growth in the tourism sector? Is the minister aware of any impediments that may prevent small businesses creating more jobs in Dawson? Minister, how does the make-up of the parliament help small business during parliamentary debate on these matters?

Mr HOCKEY (Minister for Small Business and Tourism) —I recently spent two days with the member for Dawson in her electorate. It was like a honeymoon, in fact; it was fantastic. It was great visiting the islands, the Whitsunday Passage and all those great tourism operators up there—and importantly also Bowen, where the Labor mayor was very happy to see us. He thought he had an outstanding local member. He was almost prepared to change from the Labor Party to the National Party. They are pretty happy up in the member for Dawson's electorate because tourism numbers are up. There has been a five per cent increase in visitor nights in regional areas in the first three months of this year. In the member for Dawson's electorate, where 7,600 Queenslanders are employed in tourism and where tourism generates around $320 million a year in income to the electorate, tourism is vitally important and it is important that we help to keep the numbers up.

The member for Dawson's small business and tourism operators raised a number of issues in relation to small business but the overwhelming issue was unfair dismissal laws. They want to be exempt from the unfair dismissal laws. They said it was an impediment to further employment in the tourism industry. The member for Dawson is a great advocate for small business. She was a small business owner for many years. She has spoken in the House on behalf of local small businesses 29 times in six years. Compare that to the member for Bowman—he lurks up there in the dark shadows—who has been in here for 13 years and has mentioned small business on just six occasions. It is a 10-to-one beating from the member for Dawson, so it is no surprise that it is an important issue. It is quite clear that the Labor Party does not care about small business. The member for Rankin said:

small business—

I am looking for a small business operator in the Labor Party who really cares. In fact, I am looking for someone who supports small business. I went back to the web site of the federal member for Lyons. Mr Speaker, you will recall that I have talked about the web site for the member for Lyons previously. On his web site entry he says:

I clicked on small business and up came the menu for small business and, again, a blank page! Dick has wiped off the menu. It is the best dietary advice I have ever had. All the aspirations of Australia's 1.2 million small businesses rest in the hands of Senator Barney Cooney, who has only 24 hours left in the Senate. Of the 28 Labor senators, he is the only Labor senator who has ever worked in small business, and he has to retire in 24 hours. When the unfair dismissal law goes up to the Senate, before Senator Barney Cooney leaves they should take a DNA swab. They should jar that swab because the Labor Party will have no-one left with any small business experience in the Senate. When it comes to a crucial bill for Australia's small businesses, when it comes to a crucial vote about creating more jobs for Australia's small businesses, there will not be one Labor senator who has ever worked in a small business or been associated with a small business. That vote is vitally important because it creates jobs. We are about jobs in the Liberal and National Parties. The Labor Party is opposed to job creation and it is opposed to small business.

Mr Howard —Mr Speaker, I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper.