Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer the Prime Minister to the guarantee given today by his Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government that neither the government’s industrial relations changes nor its bungled emissions trading scheme will cost a single Australian job. Does the Prime Minister agree? Will the Prime Minister now offer the same guarantee that not a single Australian job will be lost because of these policies?

Stuart Robert (Fadden, Liberal Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

How about your policies?

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The member for Fadden is warned.

Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the Leader of the Opposition for his question, because what I can guarantee to him is that Australians will not have redundancy payments stripped away from them. That is because we intend to produce fair industrial relations laws. The government’s projections of unemployment are in the economic outlook.

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise on a point of order, on relevance. The question was about jobs, not redundancy payments.

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The Leader of the Opposition will resume his seat. The Prime Minister is responding to the question.

Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) | Link to this | Hansard source

Anyone who is concerned about unemployment in this country today is concerned about redundancy payments. What is the difference? We on this side of the House stand up for their rights to redundancy payments. Those who supported Work Choices want to strip them away. The government’s position on future unemployment projections is contained in the government’s economic outlook, published in February.