Unidentified interjection - Hansard doesn't record who said this
Opposition Members:
Opposition members interjecting—
Tony Smith Speaker
The member for Gilmore will resume her seat. Members on my left!
Mr Marles interjecting—
The member for Corio will cease interjecting.
Honourable members interjecting—
It is the parliament's question time. The clock is ticking. We are ready to resume whenever the parliament is quiet. The member for Gilmore.
Ann Sudmalis Gilmore, Liberal Party
My serious question to the Prime Minister is—
Mr Champion interjecting—
Ann Sudmalis Gilmore, Liberal Party
will the Prime Minister update the House on the government's economic plan? How will the plan help families in places like Canning, Gilmore and other places around Australia with the cost of living pressures?
Ms Butler interjecting—
Tony Smith Speaker
Before I call the Prime Minister, the member for Griffith is warned as well! The Prime Minister has the call.
Malcolm Turnbull Wentworth, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications
2:05 pm
I thank the honourable member for her question. I trust that all honourable members note, as she does, the very keen interest in ensuring that we retain a strong, prosperous Australian economy to secure our economic future, to ensure—
Ms Rowland interjecting—
Malcolm Turnbull Wentworth, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications
that we remain a prosperous First World, high-wage economy with a generous social welfare net. Strong economic growth is absolutely essential to that. As honourable members know, in recent times, our economic growth has been in large part driven by the mining boom, the mining construction boom in particular. We have seen, as was inevitably going to be the case, a decline in commodity prices—
Mr Conroy interjecting—
Malcolm Turnbull Wentworth, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications
and a drop in our terms of trade. The future of our economy and the future of our prosperity depend on driving productivity—and this is a pressing issue. All of the people I met with Andrew Hastie, our candidate in Canning, raised this fundamental issue about economic growth.
Mr Champion interjecting—
Tony Smith Speaker
The member for Wakefield has been warned. This is his last warning.
Malcolm Turnbull Wentworth, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications
As I said to many of those Australians concerned about the threat that the Labor Party offers to our economic growth, the clear message has got to be that this is the most exciting time to be alive. The pace of economic change is remarkable. The opportunities are enormous. But the threats to our future prosperity are very, very real.
Now the labour movement, the CFMEU, the Labor Party have been doing their best, whether it is in Canning or anywhere else in Australia, to frustrate the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement.
Ms Rowland interjecting—
Tony Smith Speaker
I remind the member for Greenway she is warned!
Ms Rowland interjecting—
The member for Greenway will cease interjecting!
Malcolm Turnbull Wentworth, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications
They know that the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement offers the prospect of thousands and thousands of jobs right across the board, in every industry: services, agriculture, manufacturing, design, education, tourism—without exception. That is the largest single economy in the world. The efforts of this government, the efforts of this trade minister, have seen the doors to that economy flung open and the Labor Party wants to stand in the way and say: 'Stop the future! No, go back! You should be afraid.' The Labor Party thinks they can frighten people. They will succeed, if they win government, in frightening people into poverty. Only the coalition understands the importance of growth, the importance of prosperity, the importance of ensuring that we are utterly engaged in the global economy.
Brendan O'Connor Gorton, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations
Living standards have been falling under this government.