Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

means $550 a year in families' pockets. Stopping the boats means that hundreds of people are now not drowning at sea as they were under the policies of members opposite. Building the roads of the 21st century means that we are giving commuters their lives back instead of having them stuck in traffic jams for hours every week.

We are getting the fundamentals right and, because the government is getting the fundamentals right, confidence is returning to our economy and our country. The National Australia Bank's monthly business survey showed the largest monthly gain since 1998, putting business conditions at their highest level since 2008. According to Dun and Bradstreet, 74 per cent of businesses are more optimistic about growth in the next 12 months than they were in the last 12 months. The job market is strengthening; there have been 123,000 new jobs created this year. Jobs growth has been more than twice as fast this year than last year. Consumer sentiment is above its long run average level as the latest ANZ consumer confidence survey shows. Retail sales are strong and housing starts are near record levels. This government is doing exactly what we committed to do: to build a strong and prosperous economy for a safe and secure Australia.

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