ROSS:
Bruce Billson is the Federal Small Business Minister because Australian’s think small businesses play an important part in their community but forget to actually use them. Shop Small is the campaign. Minister good morning to you.
BRUCE BILLSON:
Good morning to you Ross. Well done you’ve started well on your Shop Small campaign. Listening to you each morning I think you are pretty shop small most of the time.
ROSS:
3AW is a very small business radio station I would say in terms of a lot of its core advertisers. Tell us about Shop Small.
BILLSON:
Well it’s a very important initiative. It started over in the United States, in the UK and also Canada and Hong Kong. The partners, mainly led by American Express, Energy Australia, MYOB, NAB who are a whole bunch of businesses that are allies and partners with small business saying lets shop small. Let’s get behind these small businesses. They provide almost half of the private sector workforce in Australia. You and I love them Ross. We have got to get behind them. So we’ve got the Shop Small campaign going operating through the month of November. We’ve also got a particular day later in November on the 23rd we are urging colleagues in politics and significant figures like you to get in and get amongst it with these courageous small business men and women.
ROSS:
There is a photograph in the paper this morning of a butcher. Now what is a classic small business isn’t it?
BILLSON:
It is. They are facing tough competition from other small butchers but also from big retailers. We like business activity from big and small businesses but the small businesses they make up our community. When you walk through neighborhoods, you see the livelihoods that you see in your suburbs and regional centres and the like and the economy is small business men and women having a go. Many times mortgaging their house, some would say even their first born just to have a go and to create opportunities for themselves and for others as well as adding to community vitality, giving the streetscapes the flavor and the energy and the options and experience we all look for. Well lets get behind them. So shop Small is a fantastic campaign to recognize small business men and women in our country.
ROSS:
Minister you have started the conversation, we will keep it going. Thanks for you time.
BILLSON:
Thanks for your interest guys.