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

I most certainly do not, and the suggestion is absurd. As the Leader of the Opposition well knows, during the course of today he and I, in a bipartisan spirit, have been engaged in some very important business for the Australian nation. He should also be aware that during the course of this parliamentary week, even while all eyes have been on the media debate, we have continued to govern in the interests of the nation by pursuing the legislation for the National Disability Insurance Scheme. At the same time, as a government we continue to work with Australians around the nation in making sure that we keep our economy strong and offer people the benefit of work. And it is during the last fortnight that we received the news that more than 70,000 jobs were created in our country in a month, bringing to more than 900,000 the number of jobs created since this government came to office, meaning we are well on our way to creating a million jobs.

During the course of this week and last I have pursued what is the transformative opportunity agenda for our nation, and that is making sure that we better fund schools, that we improve schools and that we have new improvements and new resources that truly mean every Australian child gets a great education and gets the benefits of the opportunities that are coming for our nation during this the Asian century of growth and change.

As the Leader of the Opposition may also be aware—we were certainly talking about it in question time yesterday—we have determined to keep supporting families with all the stresses and strains they face today, including cost-of-living pressures. We did that as recently as yesterday by securing new increases for 3.5 million pensioners around the country who need the support of government and would not get that support extended to them in the same way, at the same dimension, if the government were to change and if the Leader of the Opposition ever became Prime Minister given that he has said very, very clearly that he is committed to cutbacks for these Australians who need care and support the most.

The government will continue to pursue the agenda that we have set for ourselves and the Australian nation. It is about being smarter. It is about being stronger. It is about being fairer. It is about making sure that a strong economy is ready for this century of change and growth. It is about making sure that a strong economy offers benefits to all, rather than the enrichment of just a few. And it about supporting modern families with their everyday pressures. This is the agenda that drives us, and it continues to drive us even today. We will make progress on it, so I can assure the Leader of the Opposition that the answer to his question is no.

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