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The small business industry has welcomed the news that former small business minister Michael McCormack has been made Deputy Prime Minister of Australia.
Mr McCormack, who was sworn in as the new leader of the Nationals Party and the Deputy Prime Minister of Australia last month, was the Minister for Small Business between July 2016 and December 2017.
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He was made the new leader of the Nationals Party and the Deputy Prime Minister following the resignation of Barnaby Joyce.
In appointing Mr McCormack to the new role, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull noted that the new Deputy PM was “a strong advocate for rural Australia” and “will continue his party’s long tradition of standing up for farmers and all those living in regional Australia”.
The news of Mr McCormack’s ascension was largely welcomed by those in the small business sector.
The Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman, Kate Carnell, congratulated Mr McCormack, saying: “Michael McCormack was a diligent and committed Small Business Minister, so we are particularly pleased with this outcome.
“Mr McCormack ran his own small business before entering Parliament, so he knows what it’s like and has great empathy for the challenges and opportunities small businesses face every day.”
She continued: “We are pleased Mr McCormack will push for the Small Business Minister to have a seat in cabinet, as has been the case in the past.
“And we are confident the new Deputy Prime Minister will have small business issues as a major focus.”
Business groups also welcomed Michael McCormack as Deputy Prime Minister.
Council of Small Business Australia CEO Peter Strong said: “We have worked successfully with Michael McCormack when he was the minister responsible for small business and he is well respected by our sector. We know that we have a great voice in cabinet for the biggest group of employers in Australia.”
Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry boss James Pearson said that Mr McCormack “knows [that] business needs the support of government in crucial areas such as tax, energy costs, workplace relations reform, skills and training and infrastructure if they are to succeed in a globally competitive world”.
Meanwhile, the MGA Independent Retailers’ CEO, Jos de Bruin, commented: “In his new roles, Michael McCormack will be a great asset to the cabinet. He is a staunch supporter of small businesses and understands the needs and concerns of family-owned businesses.
“He has grown up in a family business and, as member for the Riverina district in NSW, he is in touch with the wider needs of the Australian community… We are confident that he will continue to use his voice for small businesses in cabinet and we congratulate him on his important new role.”
[Related: Small Business Minister ‘agrees’ with ASIC remuneration review]
