House debates

Tuesday, 15 February 2022

Questions without Notice

COVID-19: Morrison Government

2:30 pm

Photo of Josh FrydenbergJosh Frydenberg (Kooyong, Liberal Party, Treasurer) | Hansard source

Much to the embarrassment of his Labor colleagues, the shadow Treasurer said the biggest test, the most important test and the key test of the Morrison government's management of the pandemic will be what happens to unemployment and jobs. That's what the shadow Treasurer said—the single biggest test of our government's management of the pandemic is what happens to unemployment and jobs. The reason why it's of great embarrassment to the shadow Treasurer is because today the unemployment rate is 4.2 per cent—a 13-year low. When Labor last left office, the unemployment rate was 5.7 per cent, and we now have full employment in sight. And there are 1.7 million more Australians in work today than under the Labor Party, including one million more women in work today than under the Labor Party. That's our record. And cutting taxes for families, cutting taxes for small business and putting in place an immediate expensing provision to drive more investment is all part of that economic recovery plan. But we have been opposed every step of the way by a Greens-Labor coalition, and beware those who protest too much.

The other day was the Leader of the Opposition ruling out partnerships with the Greens even though he was part of a government that was in partnership with the Greens. Today, it's the Leader of the Greens who's ruling out a partnership with the Labor Party even though he was celebrating the fact that he is calling his own members shadow ministers. This Leader of the Opposition, this Leader of the Labor Party, who's never held a Treasury portfolio, who's never delivered a budget, but who has tabled his year 7 economics assignments—

Comments

No comments