Success depends on our ability to work together. The Government recognises that there are barriers which impact on the industry's ability to compete effectively in overseas markets and is already taking steps to minimise them. The HIA recently conducted a survey of 600 of its member builders. I am pleased to be able to say that, the Government is already working towards realising a number of these key objectives. These are measures, which I believe, will go a long way in providing the kind opportunities that you need, but have long been denied.
Small business contributes significantly to the Australian economy.
There are nearly 800,000 small businesses in Australia. This is significant for the housing industry, as it is an industry characterised by a large number of small sized businesses. In order to demonstrate the Government's commitment , the Prime Minister recently announced that we will be holding a Small Business Summit in June. It will focus on the impact of decisions made by all tiers of government on the development and operations of small businesses. It will deal particularly with issues which overlap all three tiers of government, or, where there is a need for national consistency in the approach to regulation reform.