Gladys Liu (Chisholm, Liberal Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Treasurer. Will the Treasurer remind the House how the Morrison government's tax cuts have helped to strengthen our economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, and is the Treasurer aware of any alternative approaches?

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

I thank the member for Chisholm for her question, acknowledge her experience in small business and acknowledge the fact that in her electorate over 60,000 constituents—

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

The member for Chifley!

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

will get tax relief as a result of policies that we have supported on this side of the House and more than 20,000 businesses in the electorate of Chisholm will be able to access the immediate expensing provisions.

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

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

The member for Rankin then left the chamber.

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

Much to the embarrassment of his Labor colleagues, the shadow Treasurer said the biggest test, the most important test and the key test of the Morrison government's management of the pandemic will be what happens to unemployment and jobs. That's what the shadow Treasurer said—the single biggest test of our government's management of the pandemic is what happens to unemployment and jobs. The reason why it's of great embarrassment to the shadow Treasurer is because today the unemployment rate is 4.2 per cent—a 13-year low. When Labor last left office, the unemployment rate was 5.7 per cent, and we now have full employment in sight. And there are 1.7 million more Australians in work today than under the Labor Party, including one million more women in work today than under the Labor Party. That's our record. And cutting taxes for families, cutting taxes for small business and putting in place an immediate expensing provision to drive more investment is all part of that economic recovery plan. But we have been opposed every step of the way by a Greens-Labor coalition, and beware those who protest too much.

The other day was the Leader of the Opposition ruling out partnerships with the Greens even though he was part of a government that was in partnership with the Greens. Today, it's the Leader of the Greens who's ruling out a partnership with the Labor Party even though he was celebrating the fact that he is calling his own members shadow ministers. This Leader of the Opposition, this Leader of the Labor Party, who's never held a Treasury portfolio, who's never delivered a budget, but who has tabled his year 7 economics assignments—

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

A point of order on direct relevance: I just don't see how this is possibly in any way directly relevant to the question that was asked.

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

The Manager of Opposition Business will resume his seat. The Treasurer was asked about alternative approaches in relation to economic recovery. The Treasurer is being relevant.

Opposition members interjecting—

No, no. Look, the Manager of Opposition Business will resume his seat. The Treasurer has the call.

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

The reason why this is a relevant alternative approach is because the Labor Party and the Greens have an alignment of policies—an alignment of policies on a family business tax, an alignment of policies on a housing tax and an alignment of policies when it comes to higher taxes on super and income and on higher taxes on the mining companies and, indeed, on electricity prices, and of course an alignment of policies when it comes to this Leader of the Opposition and that Leader of the Greens with respect to death duties and an inheritance tax.

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

The Treasurer will resume his seat.