David Coleman (Banks, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

():My question is to the Treasurer. Will the Treasurer update the House on what the government's economic policies have meant for the creation of Australian jobs, including in my electorate of Banks? Is the Treasurer aware of the effects alternative policies will have on hardworking Australians seeking to get and stay in jobs?

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Banks for his question and the great work he's doing as chair of the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Economics, contributing to the strong economic policies of the Turnbull government. Over the past four years, this government has been cleaning up the mess left behind by the Labor Party, whether it's what we just heard about from the Minister for Immigration and Border Protection—turning around the border protection disasters of the previous government—cracking down on thuggish unions, making sure multinationals pay their fair share of tax, completing trade agreements that the others left idle or turning around our defence spending. We've been cleaning up the abhorrent mess left by the Labor Party.

But one area where we've had great success is that we've turned around the anaemic growth in jobs which was left to us by those opposite, which was about 1,800 a month. That is now 27,000 jobs every month. We have now had 11 consecutive months of jobs being created, and that is the longest run of consecutive monthly job growth in 23 years. We've had 800,000 and more get a job in this country in the last four years. More than 500,000 of those have got a job in the last two years, which has seen the unemployment rate drop by half of one per cent over that period of time. Fifty-four thousand people went out there and got a job in the month of August. But, importantly, part of that is that 40,000 of those were full-time, and 26,000 of those were young people. In the last six months, 63,000 young Australians have got a job. That is the strongest six-month gain in youth employment since the global financial crisis. Australians are getting a job. Young people are getting a job as well, which is incredibly important.

It's also worth noting that, over the last six months, a quarter of a million jobs have been created, and that is the strongest six-month gain since the Sydney Olympics 17 years ago, and that's an incredible achievement. Eighty per cent of the jobs that have been created in the past year have been full time, and that is the strongest growth in 6½ years. The number of people who are joining the labour force is up as well, and the level of underemployment is down on the latest figures, and underutilisation is down.

I'm asked about alternatives. The Leader of the Opposition has a plan to increase taxes on the Australian economy by more than $150 billion. The Leader of the Opposition, the shiftiest Leader of the Opposition we've seen in a very long time, if he slithers into the Lodge, is going to put a big, wet, soggy blanket on jobs. This government is delivering jobs. We are delivering jobs at record rates. Those opposite want to shut jobs in everything from the coal-fired power stations to the booming service industries, where we're growing exports. (Time expired)