Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Hansard source

You'd still have a car industry if Labor was re-elected? Is that right, Bill? The last six years never happened. I know that this chant that you are entering into today is part of the therapy of being in opposition, but let me tell you: at some point you have to deal with reality, mate. The reality is that Labor cannot wipe away the last six years. They cannot wipe away the last six years on unemployment. They cannot wipe away the last six years, five of which had below-trend growth. They cannot wipe away $123 billion of deficits and they cannot wipe away $667 billion of debt. But I will tell you what: they can help us to wipe it away; they can help us to deal with it; they can help us and back our plan. And our plan is about getting rid of the carbon tax, getting rid of the mining tax, getting the budget back into shape and putting in place a sensible industrial relations regime, including the reintroduction of the Australian Building and Construction Commission. These things are not easy but they must be done. If you do want to create more jobs, if you do want to bring down the unemployment rate, the economy has to grow faster. It has to grow faster. You cannot just click your fingers and expect it will happen. It has to come from changes in this place and the Senate. And those changes are our plan. They are our plan to get rid of the carbon tax, to get rid of the mining tax, to free up the labour market. And do you know what? Smaller government is bigger enterprise, and it is enterprise that creates jobs.

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