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

I thank the member for Bass for her question and congratulate her and the member for Herbert on their outstanding first speeches in this place this morning. I commend them for their election to this parliament. I know that there are 38,000 constituents in the member for Bass's electorate who will be very pleased to see the tax relief legislation passed through this parliament as a result of the commitments of our government. I say to the member for Bass and all members of this place: welcome to the year of the first budget surplus in 12 years. What that demonstrates is that responsible economic and financial management is at the core of our government's plan to ensure that we respect, we reward, we recognise and we encourage the aspirations of all Australians and that we enable all Australians to pursue their aspirations.

On this side of the House, we join with the Australian people in celebrating aspiration, not indulging in the politics of class envy, which still seems to riddle those on the opposite side. This means their aspirations to earn more and to keep more of what they earn will always be respected by members on this side of the House, as we have done in introducing our bill to provide tax relief to all Australians and to guarantee the essential services that all Australians rely on.

That's what responsible economic management delivers. Whether it is delivering on ensuring the National Disability Insurance Scheme can meet the needs of half a million Australians and the progress we've already made since the last election to ensure that we can bring further states on board or ensuring we're delivering on our mental health initiatives that will support not only those young Australians and, importantly, the veterans that the member for Herbert spoke of earlier today but the millions of Australians who each year struggle with issues of mental health, our economic plan is designed to deal with the challenges that we face and to create jobs.

We are legislating tax relief in this place. We are working with the states. I've already met with premiers around the country to deliver $100 billion worth of infrastructure projects to get the economy in the strongest position it possibly can be. We are busting the congestion of regulations that can hold back the investment that drives job creation in this country. We are implementing our national skills agenda that we put in the budget and that we took to the election, which will see 80,000 apprentices added to the workforce of this country, to protect and expand the markets that Australians rely on, as one in five jobs are created by trade. We are modernising our economy, particularly our financial system, and we are standing with our agricultural producers, whether in flood or drought, to ensure that they get the support that they need through our national drought fund which those opposite oppose. (Time expired)