Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party, Minister for Small Business) Share this | Hansard source

Be quiet, Member for Rankin. Our natural commodities and Australia's natural commitment to hard work means that this really is a time of unparalleled opportunity for our country. You might be a farmer, set to take advantage of the coalition government's trifecta of trade agreements—

Ms Butler interjecting—

I can not understand why the member for Griffith continually carps when I am talking about the importance of the role our farmers play. She should know. I know she comes from Brisbane. I know she comes from a capital city, but farmers feed her and everybody else in the nation besides. She should listen to how important a role they play.

You might be a farmer, set to take advantage of our trifecta of trade agreements in south Asia, with new markets and great opportunities for your products. You might be a student at one of our many world-class Australian universities, studying STEM subjects, science, technology, engineering or mathematics. You might be on the cusp of research that will find a new treatment for a medical issue or a breakthrough in technology to make the lives of other Australians, and many other people besides, a lot easier.

You might be an enterprising small business owner such as Cooma's Jane Cay or Wagga Wagga's Simone Eyles. They are in fashion and coffee respectively. They are great things. We all know that. I am sure the member for Griffith agrees. They use the internet to develop global businesses from regional towns and communities. You might be an employee enjoying the benefits of Australia's relatively low unemployment—lower under us than under those opposite—and easier movement of labour between industries.

No matter your industry or your background, Australians can all take advantage of our economic resilience, our safe low-risk investment paradigm, and see a brighter future for us all. We all want that because, more than anything, enterprise, education and, indeed, enthusiasm are the keys to success in the modern, changing Australian economy.

And, as our national economic landscape adapts to changes in the global market, it is clear that there are great opportunities for Australians, but we need a plan to take advantage of this. We need a plan. That is why the central tenet of the coalition's economic plan—

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