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

Removing taxes like that the carbon tax and the mining tax, reducing the level of regulation and improving the regulation, opening trade and investing in innovation and infrastructure—these are all helping us to maintain strong growth in the face of global volatility. These are all our initiatives: our ambitious infrastructure investment program; our ambitious Innovation and Science Agenda; our work to invest in our defence capability; and the work we are doing to ensure the NBN project is on track by upgrading three in four premises by June 2018. All of these initiatives and reforms have been progressing. All will help to make Australian businesses more successful and will, of course, help them to employ more Australians.

We are working to restore the Australian Building and Construction Commission, to improve competitiveness and remove unnecessary costs out of the construction industry. As soon as the Senate has dealt with the very important reforms, when we come back in May the Senate will have the opportunity to consider that legislation. (Time expired)