Matt Williams (Hindmarsh, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

As the member for Charlton introduced defence shipbuilding, I will gladly speak on that. He was asleep last week, like his previous government and colleagues were asleep during six years of government, because we know they did not commission a defence shipbuilding project. They did nothing for six years. What did we do last week? We announced a $39 billion project for Future Frigates. There were patrol boats. I am glad to let the member for Charlton know about this magnificent announcement—this commitment to the defence shipbuilding industry and 2,500 jobs to be sustained in a continuous shipbuilding project program. It is what the people of Australia in the defence shipbuilding industry have demanded, and we will deliver.

I thank the member for Forde for this motion and I commend him for his support and advocacy for small business. As we know, small business is the life blood of Australia. We know that 96 per cent of businesses in Australia are small businesses—it is 98 per cent in my state. This government is committed to ensuring that small business thrives. We know that when small business thrives there are more jobs. I look forward to the member for Rankin's contribution after mine. I am hoping that he utilises his background in economics to talk about how the tax cuts and the tax incentives from the last budget will help economic growth in Australia.

Dr Chalmers interjecting—

It would be good to see you endorse our policies, Member for Rankin, rather than make excuses. Right now, in South Australia we know that we have the highest unemployment rate and the federal government has done something about this in the federal budget, as well as with the defence shipbuilding announcement. But it is not only with that it is also with the NBN, with nation building projects and with more money for advanced manufacturing for those manufacturers that have a bright future. We have already seen green shoots in our economy. We know that since being elected that we have seen more than 330,000 jobs created. While it is taking longer for South Australia to turn around the economic challenges, we are optimistic about the future with the defence shipbuilding announcement and others. It was the shot in the arm that our economy needed; it was the shot in the arm that the defence industry needed Australia wide. We have heard Andrew Bellamy of Austal; we have heard BAE Systems—they are all very positive.

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