John Howard (Bennelong, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Hasluck for his question. It is not surprising that he should demonstrate an interest in these matters. Not only does he have a very distinguished background in small business and an understanding of the sorts of economic policies that are needed for small business to flourish in Australia, but also he represents an electorate where the level of unemployment in March 1996 was 7.4 per cent and is now only 3.5 per cent. It is precisely an electorate like this—electorates like Hasluck, Stirling and other electorates in Western Australia—where the economic policies of this government have delivered such outstanding benefits over the last few years. The member for Hasluck asked me about the level of industrial disputes. I can inform him—

See this speech in context