Michael Johnson (Ryan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I made a speech in the parliament this morning in which I quoted some figures that I would like to correct here this afternoon. I would not want the Ryan electorate, which I have the great honour of representing here in the parliament, to mistake as factual the figures that I quoted this morning in light of recent information that the Prime Minister announced today.

I said in the parliament this morning that employment security lies at the heart of economic and financial security for all Australians. I said that, without job security, there can be no security for Australian families and their homes. I also said that the number of jobs that the Australian government has created numbered some 170,000 since March this year when the Workplace Relations Act was introduced. I want to let the voters and the constituency of Ryan know that in fact this figure has now been revised. In fact, some 205,000 jobs have been created since March when the very important Workplace Relations Act was introduced into the parliament. This is a significant figure. This is a figure that affects Australians in a very direct and meaningful way.

Australia today enjoys record 30-year-low unemployment figures. Under five per cent—in fact, some 4.8 per cent—of Australians are unemployed. Of course, this still represents hundreds of thousands of Australians, and the Howard government wants more Australians to be engaged in the workforce. The Howard government wants more Australians with skills and with talents to apply those skills and talents to the enhancement of their community and to the national prosperity of this country.

The Treasurer released some figures earlier this week which indicate that Australia is the eighth-lowest taxing country in the OECD. The OECD consists of 30 members. According to the latest figures from the OECD in Paris, Australia comes in as the eighth-lowest taxing country of the 30 members of the OECD. The people of Ryan would be interested to know that, since the 2004-05 financial year, the government has delivered personal income tax cuts totalling in excess of $73 billion over the five years as a result of the announcement in the 2005-06 and 2006-07 budgets. This is very significant for the people of Ryan because it means that the money that they earn as hardworking Australians stays in their pockets and stays within their discretion to spend as they see fit in the interests of their families and their personal preferences.

I want to take the parliament and the Ryan electorate to a comparison with some of the other members of the OECD. To give the Ryan electorate a comparison in terms of unemployment, Australia enjoys a remarkable figure of 4.8 per cent unemployment—a 30-year low—which I think all Australians should be very proud of. Of course, we all know that this is a very different figure from the double-digit figure that reigned supreme during the days when the Labor government was in power—in excess of one million Australians unemployed.

I think it is very interesting to compare Australia’s figures with the figures of other members of the OECD. I am sure that my constituents in Ryan will be very interested to hear this comparison. The unemployment figures are 9.4 per cent in France, 8.8 per cent in Germany, 9.2 per cent in Greece and 7.4 per cent in Italy. These are 2006 first quarter figures. Spain’s unemployment figure is 8.9 per cent. Of course, these are soccer powers, football powers, in Europe. Let me look at Italy. The unemployment figure is 7.4 per cent. Italy might be the world champion in football and it might hold the World Cup, but it certainly does not hold the world cup for its policies and initiatives to reduce unemployment—7.4 per cent compared to Australia’s 4.8 per cent. This is something that reflects very distinctly the differences in our two countries. I think I would rather be in a country that has an unemployment figure of 4.8 per cent than be in a country that, though it might be a great soccer power and be the world champion in football, has 7.4 per cent of its people unable to find a job. I know that the people of Ryan would appreciate this government’s policies in this regard. (Time expired)