Katie Allen (Higgins, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Treasurer. Will the Treasurer inform the House of how the Morrison government's strong economic management is driving thousands of new jobs around the country every week, which has the unemployment rate on the path to its lowest level in 50 years, and is the Treasurer aware of any alternative approaches?

Josh Frydenberg (Kooyong, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Higgins for the question and acknowledge her deep experience in the medical field before coming to this place. I had the opportunity to visit a local cafe in her electorate, Eden Espresso, and to meet Jed, the owner. He employs 20 staff. He told us how JobKeeper had been critical to that business's survival. Now the customers are coming back through the doors and he is looking to the year ahead with confidence, and so too are many other Australian businesses, despite the challenges we face. Yesterday there was a NAB business survey. The NAB business survey saw—

Andrew Wallace (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Macarthur will leave under 94(a).

The member for Macarthur then left the chamber.

Josh Frydenberg (Kooyong, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

a 15-point increase in business confidence, a 15-point increase into positive territory, with the chief economist pointing to the expectation of a strong economic recovery. Our focus since coming to government has been on jobs. Despite the biggest economic shock since the Great Depression, today we have an unemployment rate of 4.2 per cent, a 13-year low that is on track to a 50-year low. We have 1.7 million more Australians in work today than when we came into government, one million more women in work today than when we came into government and a record number of Australians in a trade apprenticeship. That's a clear contrast from those opposite, with one in eight manufacturing jobs lost under the Labor Party and one million fewer women in work. We will continue to invest in skills, we will continue to invest in infrastructure, we will continue to invest in tax cuts, we will continue to invest in the digital economy and we will continue to invest in our sovereign manufacturing capability to create more jobs. But we can't take this economic recovery for granted. The biggest risk to the economic recovery is the Leader of the Opposition, the leader of the Labor Party, somebody who has never held a Treasury portfolio, somebody who attacks tax cuts for families as being for the top end of town and a leader of the Labor Party too weak to stand up to the unions and the Greens.

Andrew Wallace (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Treasurer will resume his seat. The Manager of Opposition Business on a point of order.

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

On direct relevance: I have a series of precedents here of rulings with respect to when alternative approaches have been referred to in questions where it has been made clear that it's not an opportunity to give a character assessment. I have got them here: 3 August 2021, 2 June 2021, 1 June 2021, 26 May 2021—all the same ruling, ruling out exactly what the Treasurer is now doing. I ask you to draw him back to the question.

Andrew Wallace (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I have actually done some of my own homework on this particular issue and there has been quite a difference of opinion by Speakers throughout recent years on this issue about alternatives. It is a very challenging area. A lot of Speakers have spoken in the past about how difficult it is to rule on these things. Some Speakers have previously refused or disallowed any part of the question that has those taglines at the end of them. That hasn't been the practice of the Speaker immediately before me in relation to alternative approaches or alternative policies. It does not then give the member answering the question carte blanche to undertake a gratuitous character assessment. That has been the approach of Speaker Smith. I'm happy to take the chamber through the many instances when he has found that, but I don't want to detain the House for an inordinate period. I believe that is the appropriate course, and I would ask the Treasurer to return to the substance of the question.

Josh Frydenberg (Kooyong, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It's all about creating jobs. This is a Leader of the Opposition who doesn't like scrutiny, who doesn't like focuses on his record. In opposition—

Andrew Wallace (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the Opposition.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It goes to the member completely—

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

What—is this a point of order?

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes, it's a point of order. You're not in the chair; the Speaker is. He's in charge.

Andrew Wallace (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the Opposition will come to the point of order.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The point of order is the Treasurer is completely defying your ruling. You just made a clear ruling. He stood up and then just went straight back to where he was.

Andrew Wallace (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This is where the term 'character assessment' is obviously a very subjective one. I would ask the Treasurer to return to the issue of alternative approaches and not address character assessments, please.

Josh Frydenberg (Kooyong, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Labor Party talk a big game in opposition, but their record in government was very different. They talk about secure work, yet the unemployment rate was 5.7 per cent. It's 4.2 per cent today. They talk about wages; real wages were falling when Labor were last in government. They talk about cost of living; electricity prices doubled. They talk about lower taxes; they took to the Australian people $387 billion of higher taxes. This Leader of the Opposition and this Labor Party stand for higher taxes, more spending and a weaker Australian economy.