Melissa McIntosh (Lindsay, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Australia is the best country in the world. How is the Morrison government working to make it even better to secure Australia's future?

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

I thank the member for Lindsay for her question and I share her optimism and confidence, like all the members on this side of the House, because I know the Australian people are optimistic and I know they're confident about their future—

Ms Kearney interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Cooper will leave under standing order 94(a)

The member for Cooper then left the chamber.

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

I know that because they have decent, honest aspirations, and we are backing them to achieve those aspirations. That's what we took to the Australian people at the last election. Every day our government goes to work to back in Australians who are quietly going about their business, and they will continue to get our support. They're not interested in the Canberra games. They're not interested in the drama and all the other nonsense that can happen in this place. What they're interested in is a government that's getting on with the job. Under our government, Australians have been getting jobs: 202,700 new jobs to date in this calendar year alone, 251,800 jobs over the past year and more than 1.4 million jobs since we first came to government.

Australians have been earning more and they're keeping more of what they earn, because we believe in lower taxes and we have delivered those lower taxes. We are acting to reduce carbon emissions in our economy. Our emissions are coming down and our emissions are lower than they were at any time under the previous Labor government. We are cleaning up the environment with practical, meaningful action to protect our land, to ensure that Australians who depend on the land—on our seas, on our fisheries, on our waterways—can get the support they need to go about their business. Our veterans are receiving $11½ billion in services and support this financial year. Our investment in essential medicines has led to the listing of over 2,200 new or amended items on the PBS, at an overall cost of $10.7 billion. We are delivering on our $100 billion infrastructure program, having just brought forward $3.8 billion into the forward estimates, and $1.8 billion into this year and next year alone, to ensure we are investing in the economy.

But next year I'm looking forward to passing the ensuring integrity bill in the other place, ensuring that union thugs have no place in our workforce. I'm looking forward to following through on the funding commitments that we have given, which are fully funded in our budget. In health that includes an extra $31 billion through the 2020 National Health Agreement and expanding support to some 500,000 participants through the National Disability Insurance Scheme. I'm absolutely looking forward to ensuring we have a religious discrimination act that protects the beliefs of Australians, whatever faith or nonfaith they have, in this country. I'm looking forward to continuing to engage our partners around the world to put Australia's national interest first. Getting our spending to two per cent of GDP and ensuring the stable and certain management of our economy means— (Time expired)

On that note, I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper.