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

My question is to the Prime Minister. Prime Minister, your government has delivered two budgets that have weakened our economy. Taxes are up and electricity and gas bills are getting out of control. We have higher inflation than the US, France and Germany. Australians are worse off today than when you came to government 13 months ago. When will the Prime Minister accept responsibility for his economy-destroying policies?

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

I thank the Leader of the Opposition for his question. The fact is, under this government we have turned a $78 billion deficit into the first projected surplus in 15 years, of $4.2 billion. We had the strongest jobs growth in the first year of any new government: 465,000 new jobs created, and, for the first time, more than 14 million Australians have a job. We have a record number of women in jobs, and more women working full-time. We have pay packets growing at the fastest rate in more than a decade. The gender pay gap has fallen to an historic low of 13.3 per cent.

The Leader of the Opposition raises international comparisons, and I'm happy to do so too. The GDP growth of Australia is higher than all of—all of!—the G7 countries. It's higher than Canada, higher than France, higher than Germany, higher than Italy, higher than Japan, higher than the United Kingdom and higher than the United States. The participation rate is higher than in all of those countries as well. Employment growth is higher than every single country in the G7. We are the only country that is in surplus—all G7 countries are in deficit. And, of course, because of this government more than one million Australians will pay less for child care next month. Eleven million Australians will pay less to see a doctor. Because of our budget, another six million Australians will pay less for their medicines; 480,000 Australians will pay zero for TAFE—will pay nothing for TAFE; five million Australian families will get relief on their power bills and one million small businesses will get relief as well; 111,000 households will pay less to make their houses more energy efficient; and, of course, 250,000 aged-care workers will get a pay rise. People on the minimum wage we'll also pay more. This government has put forward a constructive budget. Those opposite still have not put a costing on the one thing that they announced in their budget reply. (Time expired)