Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Leyonhjelm for that question. I can assure Senator Leyonhjelm and the Senate that this government is working very hard to build a stronger, more prosperous economy where everyone can get ahead. The industry and competitiveness agenda that Senator Leyonhjelm refers to is an essential part of that agenda. Senator Leyonhjelm would be well aware that unlike the previous government this government does not pick individual winners. When it comes to industry policy we have been very clear not to use taxpayers' money to help one business compete with another business. These are the decisions we have made consistently in the 12 months or so that we have been the government of Australia.

However, we have also said—unashamedly—that there are sectors of the economy that we believe are going to be central to economic growth across Australia into the future, and those are the areas we identified in the lead-up to the last election: obviously our energy and resources sector, obviously our manufacturing sector, obviously our agricultural sector, obviously our services sector. So, through the industry and competitiveness agenda we are unashamedly providing support in a strategic and well-targeted way to assist and to facilitate. This government understands that it is not the government itself that is creating jobs. We understand that it is up to the government to create the environment within which the private sector, within which individual Australians and within which individual businesses across Australia ought to be encouraged to be as successful as they possibly can be. Under the previous government, whenever somebody was successful there was the suspicion that they must have done something wrong and the idea that the government must go after them with either more new taxes or more new red tape. This government encourages individual Australians to be as successful as they can be. (Time expired)