Belinda King:
Dr Aly, good morning.
Anne Aly:
Good morning, and good morning to all your listeners.
King:
Minister, let’s start with the small business discussion first because plenty of our listeners are certainly doing their business taxes at the moment. The $20,000 instant asset write‑off, it’s been around for a few years, but it’s just been made permanent, I believe. So, in practical terms, who qualifies? What can they buy? And what can they actually claim?
Aly:
That’s right. It has been around for a few years, Belinda, but small businesses had to wait every year to find out whether or not the government was going to extend it for another year. We’ve now made it permanent, which means that small businesses now can have that confidence to invest in the equipment that they need to be able to grow or sustain their business. So, what it does, it applies to any single asset to the value of $20,000 that they can then claim against their taxes. So, they can purchase a coffee machine, for example, if they’re a cafe, a fridge, for example, any number of assets that qualify that they need to do business, and they can do that as many times as they like over the years. Over a single year, as long as each asset doesn’t exceed the value of $20,000.
King:
Well, businesses, Dr Aly, have been telling us for years that their biggest problems are rising power, insurance, wages and operational costs. So, how much of a difference can $20,000 of a write‑off really make when their fundamental complaint is simply keeping the doors open?
Aly:
Well, you’re absolutely right. And yesterday I had a roundtable with small businesses right here in Launceston, and certainly the cost of doing business was the biggest issue on their plate: their margins were getting thinner because of the cost of energy, but also the cost of freight, which is a big issue right here in Tasmania.
I also asked them to tell me about your challenges, but also give me some ideas of what the opportunities were and in fact, the instant asset write‑off came up as something that was good, that was helping them to ensure they had cash flow, but also gave them certainty that they could invest in things that they needed and know that they would be able to write that off. So, it does make a difference.
I’ve visited a number of businesses now that have used the instant asset write‑off to purchase things that they need. I visited one in Canberra that used the instant asset write‑off to do a complete fit‑out of their retail shopfront. So, it has made a difference to them; obviously, it’s not the answer to everything and the challenges still remain, and that’s why we continue to work on looking at how we can better support small businesses to sustain and to grow.
King:
Now, you did touch on freight, so I will pursue that for a moment. The federal government did actually commence an independent review into the Freight Equalisation Scheme last October. It was expected to be handed down in mid‑2026. Do we have a formal release date for that and any idea what it’s going to recommend?
Aly:
No, we don’t have a formal release date for that yet. I haven’t seen the recommendations of that, but it is something I will take a look at. I’ve told the businesses I met with yesterday that I’ll come back to them on a number of things, and that will be one of them.
King:
Okay, now, while you’re here, you’ve also been meeting with members of Tasmania’s Nepalese community. What are you hearing from them first‑hand? Particularly, of course, with the dreadful events of the last week or so?
Aly:
Yes. Well, understandably, they’re under a lot of stress at the moment and feeling the impact of that trauma, whether it’s because they have family or friends who are directly affected by it, or there are other members of their community who are directly affected by it. What I heard from them yesterday is about those levels of stress and the trauma that they’re experiencing, and the primary purpose was to hear from them, to lend them support and to see what more that we could be doing.
Obviously, through the International Development and Foreign Affairs Portfolio – we’re doing everything that we can to locate the 38 Australians who are still unaccounted for in the region. That’s down from the 43 that were originally unaccounted for. So, that’s good news that 5 Australians have been located, but we still hold grave concerns for those 38 who remain unaccounted for.
They told me about their need to come together for mental health support during this difficult time. But I will also say, if I may, Belinda, that Australians have donated $3.5 million thus far to the Emergency Action Appeal, the Emergency Action Alliance, which demonstrates just how wonderful and generous the Australian community is and how much we care about our people. And I think that’s given them a lot of comfort to know that Australians are very generous and they do have empathy in this terrible time for them.
King:
It is good to hear that and to hear that people do have empathy and are supporting the appeal. But at the same time, we’ve seen some pretty vile racist commentary online, essentially questioning whether some of the missing 38 Australians that are missing are even Australian because they’re not white. What’s your reaction to that?
Aly:
It’s disgraceful. It is absolutely disgraceful. That kind of behaviour, that kind of racism is disgraceful all the time, but it is particularly disgraceful at this time when people are going through such a difficult time, not knowing where their loved ones are. This is what I would say to people: just think. Just think before you do something like that. Just stop, take a breather, think about what it is that you’re doing, think about your behaviour.
Because racism is not an opinion, it’s not a joke, it’s not a thought that you have; it is actually a behaviour. So, before you behave in that way, before you get on there and just type away something so offensive and so, yeah, just horrible, targeting people who are already going through a tough time, have a think. Think about if it was you, how you would like to be treated.
King:
Does the government have a place to make these platforms more accountable for what they’re allowing to be posted?
Aly:
Well, we’re doing everything we can, and I know the Communications Minister, Anika Wells, has done a lot in this space, making the platforms more accountable. We’ve banned it for under‑16‑year‑olds. We’ve got the social media ban for under 16‑year‑olds. We’re now looking at the opt‑in to algorithms because the algorithm is the real issue here, but I think individuals have a responsibility too, right? So, you know, before you get on there and comment, just stop and think.
King:
Yeah, indeed. Dr Anne Aly, thank you for your time as you’re visiting Tasmania. Good to have you here and good to have a chat today.
Aly:
Pleasure. Thank you so much, Belinda. Have a wonderful day.
King:
Thank you. Dr Anne Aly, Minister for Small Business and Member for Cowan, with us this morning on LAFM.