Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Hansard source

In the six years under Labor, with Mr Shorten as employment minister, the unemployment rate in this country increased by around two per cent and was projected to increase even further. Employment growth in 2013, Labor's last year in office, was just 52,000—and, might I add, the number of foreign workers coming into Australia was at an all-time high. It is from that starting point that this government over the last two years has focused on creating more job opportunities for Australians, and as employment minister I am delighted that there are today 335,000 more Australians in work than when we came to office. But there is more to be done, and a key pillar of our job creation strategy is the new free trade agreements with Japan, Korea and China. These agreements will create 9,000 jobs a year and, overall, 178,000 jobs by the time the agreements come into full force.

Every single leader in government in Australia supports this free trade agreement, including the Labor Premier of Victoria, the Labor Premier of Queensland, the Labor Chief Minister of the ACT and the Labor Premier of South Australia. Every office-bearer that is actually in office, whether a premier or chief minister in Australia, irrespective of their political colour, supports this China free trade agreement because they know it is unequivocally good for Australia and for Australian jobs. (Time expired)