Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

It seems the trolls aren't limited to the internet!

Honourable members interjecting—

We're on track as a nation to have the lowest rate of unemployment in this country in 50 years. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our country in the months ahead, over the course of 2022, to have an unemployment rate with a three in front of it. This is an achievement of the Australian people—the business owners of this country and the workers of this country—who have pushed forward throughout this pandemic. At the same time, right now we have an unemployment rate of 4.2 per cent and an unemployment rate amongst young people of 9.8 per cent, half of what it was at the peak of the pandemic and the lowest level we've seen since 2008. Under our government, a million more women are back in work under the policies of our government and 700,000 jobs were saved by JobKeeper as a result of the policies of our governments. There are 220,000 Australians who are trade apprentices in training right now, which is the highest level this country has seen since records started in 1963.

Our economy is pushing out of this pandemic as one of the strongest economies in the world, and that sets up a great opportunity for this country. As we come out of this pandemic stronger than most of the advanced economies in this world, it isn't just about reclaiming what was lost over the COVID period; it's about a new era of economic opportunity for this country. We have maintained our AAA credit rating and business confidence is returning. All this is based on a strong plan—a plan of lower taxes and cutting red tape, a plan of investing in the infrastructure and skills development which will set us up for the future. Thirdly, it's a plan for reliable, affordable energy. Fourthly, it's a plan for a data and digital economy that will be in the top 10 of the world by 2030 and continuing to build our sovereign capability as we see a resurgence in the manufacturing industries of this country under our policies. That's the plan for Australia's future, a plan that Australians are backing and can back. (Time expired.)

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