Zoe McKenzie (Flinders, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is for the Prime Minister. Last week's Westpac-Melbourne Institute Survey of Consumer Sentiment Index was below 80 for two months in a row. Chief Economist Bill Evans said:

Runs of sub-80 reads have only been seen during the late 1980s/early 1990s recession and in the 'banana republic' period of concern in 1986 …

Why does consumer confidence always collapse when Labor is in government, why is the Prime Minister so out of touch and why do Australian families always pay more under Labor?

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The Minister for Home Affairs is warned.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the shadow, shadow Treasurer for her question. There's been a range of figures come out, as happens, on our economy and—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The Prime Minister will pause. The member for Deakin will cease interjecting. If you interject one more time you will be ejected from the chamber for the second day in a row.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In February, 64,600 jobs were created. What that means is that more than a quarter of a million jobs have been created since we came to office—more than a quarter of a million. Indeed, that's more jobs created in our first six months in office than were created in the first six months of any government since they started keeping these records.

Senator Cash had this to say on 16 February: 'We gave one challenge in relation to the jobs market, and that was to keep unemployment in Australia as low as possible.' Well, we've done that. That is a key to people's living standards. We acknowledge that many people are doing it tough because of the inflationary circumstances.

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

When are you going to apologise?

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the Opposition!

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The idea that—happy Pete's off again, Mr Speaker. He tries so hard. His minders tell him that the research says he's got to be more cheerful, but he's just incapable. He's just incapable of doing it. What we're doing is a range of things that will assist Australians. That's what the National Reconstruction Fund is about: new industries and new jobs. Those opposite just say no to that.

We just heard from the housing minister about the measures that are there in the Housing Australia Future Fund and the specific measures that are there from the veterans' affairs minister to help our veterans. But they say no to that as well. They had the opportunity to vote with the government on energy price relief and they voted against that as well, last December. On every measure, those opposite just say no to any measure that is put forward that is going to make a positive difference. They come in here, they talk the economy down and they talk Australia down. Remember when our industrial relations legislation was being debated? They said that would be the end. We'd all have general strikes by now. Where are they? They just run a scare campaign, but nothing's so scary as their lack of ambition for Australia. (Time expired)