Gladys Liu (Chisholm, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I would like to say that the MPI today, proposed by the member for Gorton, suggesting that the Morrison government is not providing outstanding economic and employment security to Australians is a testament to the pointlessly obstructionist and damaging nature of the Labor Party. The Morrison government continues to back all Australians throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. We demonstrated our support before the budget with programs like JobKeeper, designed to keep businesses and their employees linked even if the business could not remain open, and we've continued to show our support for Australian workers with the latest budget. One of the principles that I wholeheartedly support is lowering taxes. My colleagues and I, unlike the Labor Party, understand that Australian workers are in the best position to know how to spend their money, so we are putting that money back into their pockets. The coalition government is lowering taxes by more than $50 billion over the forward estimates, including $9 billion in 2020-21 and $32 billion in 2021-22. This is estimated to create 100,000 new jobs for Australians in Australia by the end of 2021-22. And 11.9 million Australians will also experience lower personal income taxes compared with their 2017-18 tax settings. This means they will have more money in their back pocket, which they can spend however they like.

The Morrison government's support for Australian workers doesn't stop there. Getting Australians back into jobs is a priority of the government, something the Treasurer made very clear on budget night. Now, it's possible that members of the Labor Party didn't get the chance to hear the Treasurer of Australia announce how this government is focused on getting all Australians back into the workforce, so I will remind them. The Morrison government has designed the $4 billion JobMaker hiring credit, which will provide businesses with an incentive to take on additional employees. This will support around 450,000 positions. This government is focused on lifting Australians up by supporting education and training as well. This means investing $1.2 billion through the Boosting Apprenticeship Commencements wage subsidy. Estimates suggest this will support 100,000 new Australian apprentices and trainees. On par with blue-collar training, this government emphasises investing in higher education to support those Australians who want to upskill and take the next step up in their careers. In doing so, we have invested $252 million over two years to support the delivery of 50,000 higher-education short courses in areas including teaching, health, IT, science and agriculture. We are also supporting the delivery of 30,000 additional university places in 2021, which means that more Australians will be able to get a university degree.

The Morrison government is working for all Australians. We've supported Australian workers through what will be remembered as one of the toughest times in modern history, and we will continue to support Australians long after COVID-19. This government will always back Australians. We will create jobs. We will lower taxes, and that's what the coalition government, the Morrison government, will do for all Australians.

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