Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

As I have made clear, this govern­ment is very much focused on the issues of importance to Australia and the citizens of Australia. We are interested in the cost of living issues. We are interested in trying to reduce the pressures on families. We brought down a budget very much focused on that. It was a budget focused on skills formation and opportunities in employment. As I said earlier, we have created over 700,000 jobs. This has allowed Australians to live better, to have a better standard of living, because they have been in employment. This budget invested in those people who were not getting employment opportunities—the disabled, the long-term unemployed and a whole range of groups that perhaps were not getting the opportunity to fully participate in the community.

We are focused on the issues of importance to Australians and the issues that will build a better future for them and their children—be it employment, be it education or be it national security. That is what the government is getting on with doing—and I suggest the opposition join us in focusing on these issues. (Time expired)