Brett Whiteley (Braddon, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Will the Prime Minister update the House on how the government is building the foundations of a stronger economy that will benefit all Australians?

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This has been a year of achievement for our country and it has been a year of delivery for this government—

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Prime Minister will resume his seat. We are not going to have a performance and a repeat of last week. We are going to have some silence and we are going to listen to answers, just as questions are listened to.

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Speaker, I absolutely respect the ruling you have given with respect to calling out; but surely when people spontaneously laugh at something the Prime Minister says—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I said we are going to have silence for questions and silence for answers. I call the Prime Minister.

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Speaker, 2014 has been a year of achievement for our country and it has been a year of delivery for this government. The carbon tax repeal—delivered. The mining tax repeal—delivered. Stopping the boats—delivered. Free trade agreements with our three biggest trading partners—delivered. Red tape reductions—delivered, with 58,000 pages moved from the statute books to the history books. Big new road projects—underway. The National Broadband Network—rolling out, only this time with realistic budget and timetables. Budget repair is taking place despite Labor's sabotage. The changes that this government has made are making a difference to people's lives. The carbon tax repeal—

Opposition members interjecting—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

the Member for Rankin will desist.

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

means $550 a year in families' pockets. Stopping the boats means that hundreds of people are now not drowning at sea as they were under the policies of members opposite. Building the roads of the 21st century means that we are giving commuters their lives back instead of having them stuck in traffic jams for hours every week.

We are getting the fundamentals right and, because the government is getting the fundamentals right, confidence is returning to our economy and our country. The National Australia Bank's monthly business survey showed the largest monthly gain since 1998, putting business conditions at their highest level since 2008. According to Dun and Bradstreet, 74 per cent of businesses are more optimistic about growth in the next 12 months than they were in the last 12 months. The job market is strengthening; there have been 123,000 new jobs created this year. Jobs growth has been more than twice as fast this year than last year. Consumer sentiment is above its long run average level as the latest ANZ consumer confidence survey shows. Retail sales are strong and housing starts are near record levels. This government is doing exactly what we committed to do: to build a strong and prosperous economy for a safe and secure Australia.