Angie Bell (Moncrieff, Liberal National Party, Shadow Minister for Youth) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Under Labor, Australia is the only advanced economy where living standards have gone backwards. Today's national accounts show that Australia's population has increased by 1.9 million since Labor came to office, putting pressure on housing, on services and inflation. After four years of Australians going backwards under Labor, when will the Prime Minister finally accept the buck stops with him and that migration is out of control?

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

I thank the member for her question. Living standards today went up. There are figures today. The national accounts figures today have gone up. Today the figures show the fastest economic growth of any major advanced economy. And what we're really seeing here, is the projection that, clearly, yesterday—they briefed the Australian that they were going to talk about the economy today. Clearly, they wrote the questions yesterday, before they saw the facts of the accounts. Now, Australia has—I remind the House; I'm asked about international comparisons—faster economic growth than Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US. That is the entire G7—faster economic growth. The UK and Germany recently experienced recessions, along with whole lots of the advanced economic world, including our neighbours in New Zealand. We have a lower unemployment rate than Canada, France, Italy, the UK and the United States. They think that that, somehow, doesn't matter. We on this side think it does matter when people have jobs. That's why we're proud that 1.2 million jobs have been created on our watch—stronger employment growth than Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States, and, at the same time, a higher participation rate than Canada, France—

Andrew Hastie (Canning, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Home Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Point of order on relevance and today's national accounts. The question goes to immigration, population growth—

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

Resume your seat. The Prime Minister is being directly relevant. He's talking about the national accounts. Yes, he was asked one specific thing about that, but he's obviously being directly relevant if he's talking about the figures that he was asked about by the member for Moncrieff. The political question at the end, as I indicated to the House before, completely opens this question up, which is different from the questions yesterday. But this one is broader in its context—I get it—so the Prime Minister is going to be broader in his answer.

Honourable members interjecting—

Order! The Prime Minister can continue and is going to be heard in silence. This is beyond a joke, the way that childish, snide remarks are being added in. It's not dignified. I don't know how else to explain it. I can only imagine what the gallery thinks. The Prime Minister has the call.

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

He hadn't been on the TV for five or 10 minutes; they have to parade up!

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

The Prime Minister will return to the question.

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

When there are 20 seconds to go, he'll get up; that's what happens. That's the game that is going on here. They're not interested in the economy. They're not interested in jobs. They're not interested in growth. They're not interested in living standards. All they're interested in is parading themselves over who is next to jump into various positions.