Luke Howarth (Petrie, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Youth and Employment Services) Share this | Hansard source

Thanks, Mr Deputy Speaker. Australians are looking for leadership, and they're looking for messages that are not negative. That's what we hear continually from those opposite, including the Leader of the Opposition—constant negativity. They're constantly talking down the nation, constantly talking down the government. Well, I'm really proud to stand up in this House, as a member of the Morrison government—a member of the Australian government—as the Assistant Minister for Youth and Employment Services and as the member for Petrie, because I'm part of a government that does focus on Australians and that does care about what they need in order to live their lives to the full.

Jobs and employment are things that are close to my heart. There are now more Australians in work today than when I was elected, in 2013, when Labor lost office. There are so many more Australians in work today. The level of unemployment is at the lowest level recorded in the last 12 years. In March 2021, Australia became the first advanced economy to have more people in employment than before the pandemic. That's great for local people—that they have jobs available and that there are advertised options. I was talking to someone in my own electorate this week about the opportunity to move from permanent part-time work into full-time work within a school system. She was jumping at that opportunity, and she will talk to her principal about it.

That is 13,242,000 Australians in employment. In December alone, employment rose by 64,800 jobs and the level of youth unemployment—for those people aged 15 to 25, who make up 15 per cent of the Australian population—dropped below 10 per cent. That's the first time that has happened since 2008, during the global financial crisis. That's just fantastic, and I want to commend the young people around Australia that have taken those opportunities. It's such good news.

The shadow Treasurer, who's sitting opposite right now, said, 'The biggest single test of the government's management of the pandemic will be what happens to the unemployment rate.' Well, I agree with the member for Rankin. What we've seen is the unemployment rate going down and down and down, and the Australian government is very happy that this is happening. We represent Australian people, we're there for Australian people, and we're working hard for them every day.

Today, there are more than 146,000 more aged Australians in work than what there were in March 2020. If you go back to the beginning of the pandemic, there are 146,100 more older people in jobs today. Many people listening might not know that the number of manufacturing jobs is also increasing. There are over one million manufacturing jobs in Australia right now—Australian made, which we're all proud to buy. Prior to the pandemic, there were much fewer than that.

We're getting the settings right for business. Whether they're small and family businesses or larger businesses, they employ most Australians, and, so far, we're pleased with what they're doing and we're backing them into the future. That's why the government's JobKeeper program supported 3.8 million jobs and over one million businesses. In fact, we know that it saved 700,000 Australian jobs. Without JobKeeper, which the Morrison government introduced and delivered, 700,000 more Australians would have been out of work. In my own electorate, there's the Aspley Devils, which is a rugby league club down in Brisbane City Council. Its general manager, Mark Newman, said: 'JobKeeper was a fantastic program. It kept our employees tied to the club, which meant, the minute we got the word that we could reopen, we called the staff and they were back to work the next day.'

The opposition leader calls business owners the top end of town, and we certainly know the shadow Treasurer calls them that. But we know that they are just hardworking Australians: mums and dads, small and family businesses that had their shoulders to the wheel and were often the last ones to pay themselves. To back Australia's small-business led recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, we're extending the SME Recovery Loan Scheme to 30 June this year. Well over $7.3 billion has been provided to businesses since the scheme commenced in March 2020 that has flowed through to employees and created the low unemployment rate we have today. Businesses were helped with the cash flow boost and so many more wage subsidies, and I can't stress too much the boosting apprenticeship scheme, which has got so many young Australians into apprenticeships

If we look at taxes, in my electorate of Petrie over 70,000 residents have benefited from the tax reductions the Morrison government has introduced. That's more money in people's pockets to help with living costs—bread, milk, shoes and uniforms for families whose kids went back to school just yesterday. At every opportunity we've looked to cut taxes. I can't say that about those opposite. They look at every opportunity to raise taxes. We look at reducing them and letting people keep more of their own money. We have small business taxes that are the lowest in over 50 years, and we know that income tax rates are falling further and further as well. With the legislation we've introduced, the maximum tax rate for people earning up to $200,000 is 30c in the dollar, and that will help so many people in my electorate. If you think of all those people who work overtime—tradies, nurses and others—they won't be hit with higher rates of tax, which will make a big difference in their lives. Of course the first $18,200 earned is tax-free. Leadership is about meeting the needs of Australians today and understanding their needs tomorrow.

On Saturday at my mobile office a young person aged 12 years, Harriet Peters Kingshott, gave me a copy of a poem she had written. I was heartened by its positivity and its observation of our wonderful country from different perspectives. Harriet won a national award for 'Gumtrees', which I have in my hand at the dispatch box, and here's an excerpt:

While the humans chattered away, the animals would watch from afar

Dancing to Waltzing Matilda, strummed upon the guitar.

Their farmer hats didn't fit and their suspenders were really quite baggy.

Their cat was outright lazy and their dog was dirty and shaggy.

What a great poem from young Harriet who is 12 years of age. I met her and her mother, Claire Peters, at my mobile office on Saturday, and they were positive about Australia's future. I'm really proud of Harriet Peters Kingshott and other young people like her in the Petrie electorate as well as youth all around the country. I met another young man in my electorate on Saturday when I had a game of snooker with him and he really carved me up. His name is Joshua Hands and he lives in North Lakes. He's 16 years of age, and he is the under-18 champion for snooker and billiards. I started off strongly and potted a few balls, but he did run away with it and really carved me up.

I mention these young people because Australians want positivity from their government. They don't want the negativity of the opposition leader and those opposite, which those listening to this broadcast will continue to hear when the next speaker gets up to speak. As the Assistant Minister for Youth and Employment Services, I'm encouraged by young Australians. The fact is that they are taking and accepting the challenges, whether through apprenticeships or training that they're getting through JobTrainer or through the Youth Jobs PaTH program that has supported 88,594 young people into work. We're investing $7.1 billion this year alone in skills and training.

I hope not to hear one more Labor member say, 'You're not doing enough for TAFE.' I remind them that we're putting more money into TAFE skills and training than any Australian government in history. I've heard this line and I'm sure the member for Hinkler has heard it as well—they drag it out every three years and state governments do the same, very boring—but the fact is we're investing, we're supporting Australians, we are focused on all Australians and will continue to be. The fact is that in this pandemic the Australian government—the minister for health, the Chief Medical Officer—has saved lives and livelihoods better than anywhere else in the world. That's the record that Australians can be sure of when they vote at the next election. Don't risk Labor and a weak leader. Support the coalition, and we'll continue to deliver for you.

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