Natasha Griggs (Solomon, Country Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Will the Prime Minister please inform the House how tonight's budget will strengthen the economy and help Australian families and small businesses to get ahead?

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Solomon for her question and I am sure that all members of this House, including members opposite, would say that the economy of this country is fundamentally strong. We have a fundamentally strong economy because we are a fundamentally strong and capable people. The challenge for government is to build on our strengths, and that is exactly what this government has been doing since September 2013. I am pleased to say that growth today is 25 per cent higher than it was in 2013. I am particularly proud of the fact that jobs growth is three times higher today than it was in 2013, and a quarter of a million new jobs have been created by Australian businesses since this government was elected in September 2013. Export volumes are up seven per cent in the last 12 months; housing approvals are up over 20 per cent in the last 12 months; and business and consumer confidence is above long-term average levels.

Our challenge is to build on this record. Our challenge is to build on last year's budget, which halves Labor's debt and deficit going forward. Madam Speaker, I can assure you and I can assure the people of Australia that this is a budget for them. This is a budget for confidence. It is a budget for middle Australia. It is a budget for fairness. It is our plan for jobs, growth and opportunity. It is our plan for a strong, safe and prosperous future. Above all else this budget will be measured, responsible and fair. There is a very significant tax cut for small business so that small business can do what it does best: go out and create jobs. There are significant incentives so that people can take the jobs that are available. There are better wage-subsidy arrangements, there are better employment services and, above all else, there is a Jobs for Families childcare package—because the more jobs there are, the more prosperity there will be for everyone. This is a budget that is designed to encourage the people of Australia to have a go—because that is what we do best; we have a go—to deal with our difficulties and to build on our strengths.

I want to thank the Treasurer, in his absence, for the work he has done on this budget. I thank all members of the Expenditure Review Committee. This is not simply a budget for a government; it is a budget for every Australian, to give all of us the prosperity that we all seek.