Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

and I think I am assisted by my colleagues in this regard—to explain something about the way the Australian economy works. Although a firm may ultimately have an overseas owner, when they work in this country they actually employ people in this country to do the work. Just try to stay with me on that economic concept that a company that may have an ultimate overseas owner, when it does work in this country, employs Australians to do jobs.

Do you know why construction is a great way of providing economic stimulus? It is because it is necessarily providing work here in this country in an industry hit by the global recession. I refer the member—and he may not be familiar with it—to the recent statistics and index released by the Australian Industry Group that showed that employment in construction had gone down 17 months in a row.

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