Chris Bowen (McMahon, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Hansard source

That is the plan he is holding up and waving around. It says a million jobs. The problem is the Prime Minister's rhetoric which says: 'It's okay. Jobs come; jobs go. Some jobs get created; other jobs get lost.' The trouble is that jobs are not being created across the economy. The jobs lost at SPC, Holden, Toyota or Ford are not being replaced with other jobs being created across the economy because we see the figures in net terms.

But it is up to the government to explain their plan. How does their plan create a million jobs? How does it create jobs by increasing the tax on small business? Small business, we often hear, is the engine of the economy, and that is right. This government's policy is to increase tax on small business. How does it create jobs to put a levy on big business? We are going to abolish the instant asset write-off, which is a tax increase on small business, and we are going to put a levy on big business. How is that going to create jobs? How does it create jobs to abolish the schoolkids bonus, which families across the nation use to fund expenditure and creates economic activity at the same time? How does it create jobs for this government to embark on cutbacks? The assistant minister said it is our obligation to support their cuts. Well, the cuts never created a job. (Time expired)

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