Slade Brockman (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I too rise to take note of questions to Senator Cormann today. As Senator Cormann said, we will, as a party, consider what happened on the weekend in Victoria—as every political party should. But, just to give those on the other side a little civics lesson, it is important to remember that Australia is a federation. We are a federation of states and a Commonwealth, and there are state elections that are fought on state issues and there are federal elections that are fought on federal issues. I'm sure Senator Watt knows very well that the people of Queensland consider very carefully the policies of Queensland state governments when considering how they vote at their state elections—as do the citizens of Western Australia. I'm sure we wouldn't want to do any disservice to the people of Queensland to say that they are not considering the ramifications at a state level of electing a state government, so we have to take that as the pre-eminent factor.

But what we have heard today, as Senator Hume so eloquently pointed out, is Labor yet again asking the 'inside the beltway' questions, the political questions—not focused on policy, not focused on the needs of the Australian people, but focused only on a cheap political victory, a cheap political stunt targeting this government. We are a government that's getting on with the job of delivering a stronger economy for Australians.

In the September quarter, we saw the economy growing at 3.4 per cent, surpassing pretty much all market expectations of economic growth—27 years of consecutive economic growth. I know we've all heard it a lot, but that's no accident. It comes from the hard work of a number of governments—and, particularly, the Howard-Costello government. But the current Liberal-National government has also added to that—the highest growth rate in the economy since 2012, which was of course the height of the mining boom.

A strong economy, as I have said before, is not just about a number in the budget papers; it's about delivering jobs. It's about delivering jobs on the ground. This government came to office promising to deliver a million jobs over five years and it has delivered those jobs. Those jobs changed the life of real Australians. They changed the life of real people, giving them opportunities and hope for the future. This is what governments should do: get on with the job of doing what is right for the Australian people, what is right for the Australian economy.

There were 412,000 jobs created in 2017 alone—the most jobs ever created in a calendar year on record; the unemployment rate, declining to 5.3 per cent—the lowest level since 2012 and well below the level we inherited from Labor in September 2013; participation rates at 65 per cent—a record level; more women participating in work; more seniors and more young people finding employment; and youth unemployment at its lowest level in over six years. Personally, I think this is one of the key statistics in any set of ABS figures and any set of budget papers, because getting younger people into work as early as possible sets them on a pathway for a successful life. That is what we should all be trying to achieve in this place.

Those opposite love to play politics. They love to do political stunts, but what we need is a government that is getting on with the job and delivering for Australians out there in the community—building those small and family built businesses that allow people to get the jobs that they need when they're young and to have successful and full lives. Obviously, there are so many other things that we could talk about in terms of the positive record of this government. From my home state's point of view, the GST reforms obviously were an absolutely fundamental change to our federal structure that were long known to be needed. Those opposite said they were politically impossible, yet this government managed to see them through this place in our last sitting. So, as I've said, we are getting on with the job; we are delivering for the Australian people.