Steve Irons (Swan, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I wholeheartedly thank the member for Cunningham for raising today's MPI, on the government's failure to prepare Australians for the jobs of the new economy. I see the member for Cunningham is leaving the chamber. I served on the education committee with her in the first term of this parliament and I know that her passion for education is genuine. But, as we just heard from the member for Bendigo, it is all about the AEU. She let that cat out of the bag—the process is all about the AEU. I did meet with the AEU today, she will be pleased to know, and I heard their stories about TAFE particularly in my electorate, with Polytechnic West. I know you, Mr Deputy Speaker Randall, are a former teacher, a proud educator, and you still spend plenty of time educating people in your electorate when you go doorknocking.

This discussion gives me the opportunity to highlight all the great things the coalition government is doing to prepare all Australians for the jobs of the new economy. The reason we have to have a new economy, as described by the member for Cunningham, is that the previous government spent six years wrecking the old economy—they absolutely ruined it. I am glad that the member for Cunningham has realised that there is a need for a new economy, because they spent six years destroying the previous economy. Every member on this side of the House, like every member of the public, knows the mantra: 'A vote for Labor is a vote for waste and economic disaster.' The former Labor government, Rudd-Gillard-Rudd government, proved that mantra. Colleagues, I was bemused when I was advised of today's MPI topic.

Anyone with an ounce of economic know-how would be able to make the correlation between policies which encourage innovation, a strong economy and strong job growth. But, as we all know, those opposite cannot make that correlation, let alone figure out that it is probably not the best idea to talk about jobs, when under those opposite youth unemployment in December 2008 was 13.6 per cent and they managed to drive it up in 2012 to 17.3 per cent. Those opposite have never had a plan for anything, let alone how to boost employment. I am sure, Mr Deputy Speaker, that you would agree with me that over the last three weeks we have seen ample evidence on the ABC that they had no plans; they only focused on themselves. As former Prime Minister Gillard said, they lost their way. They certainly did lose their way and they destroyed the economy along the way.

Unlike those opposite, the coalition has a plan to create new jobs, drive innovation and support businesses. It is a plan that is working. Unlike the economic disaster and job-destroying disaster that those opposite created for this country, this coalition government, since the beginning of the year, has created over 111,000 new jobs, or more than 22,000 new jobs per month. The labour market has also continued to perform strongly in the first five months of 2015, after a strong 2014 with a jobs growth of nearly 4000 a week, which is quadruple the rate seen in 2013. In the 20 months since the coalition formed government, well over a quarter of a million jobs have been created. I think the numbers speak for themselves, but to ensure that the member for Cunningham and her colleagues understand just how it happened, I will explain it: it is all about good policies.

I know you are a bit dumbfounded because you are yet to create even one good policy of your own, but here are a few of ours that are preparing Australians for jobs in the new economy the coalition is creating. We are investing $2.2 billion in industry programs across the forward estimates with a $400 million competitiveness agenda, which is a core business focused element of the government's broader economic action strategy. The agenda sets out clear ambitions that Australia must pursue: a lower-cost business friendly environment with less regulation, lower taxes and more competitive markets. We heard the same sentiment eloquently put by the member for Reid. The agenda also works to develop a more skilled labour force, better economic infrastructure and an industry policy fostering innovation and entrepreneurship. We heard from previous speakers from the other side how the coalition destroys things, but if we go back to 2007 there was a program run by the coalition called the Business Ready program, which made loans to fledgling businesses to create jobs. As soon as the Labor Party came in, they shut it down. I saw four industries in my electorate head overseas for offshore funding. This is about the coalition getting on with the job of creating a new economy, as the member for Cunningham said.

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