Amanda Stoker (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I think that speech really tells the whole story we need to know about Labor's priorities, and that story is this: the story we've just heard from Senator Cameron is that he is interested in politicians talking about themselves, sniping and carrying on. We, on this side, are focused on the substance. He says that the Australian people want action on jobs and health and education. They get it from this government. We've just heard an hour's worth of questions that were about the petty squabbles of people talking about themselves. On this side, we're focused on getting the real stuff done. He didn't ask a single question—no-one on that side asked a single question—about jobs, not a single question about health and not a word about education, but they were happy to talk about the petty nonsense.

Here, we like to get on with what matters. That's why every time they come up with something petty and silly, we will come back to the fundamentals—that is, Australia's economy is growing at 3.4 per cent, more strongly than at any time since 2012, and that was at the height of the mining boom. They can talk all they like, but they have no plan for Australia's economy. Under this government, Australians have had the first opportunity in a long time to start to see their assets grow in value, to start to see their wages move up—and they have started moving, Senator Cameron, you'll be pleased to know.

There are more jobs available for Australians now than there have been in any time since 2013. In fact, from 2017 to now, we have had more jobs created in this calendar year than in any other year on record. Let's have a think about that. That is enormous. That makes an awful difference when you consider that these aren't more public servants being put on—these are overwhelmingly full-time, private sector jobs for Australians. Even better still, there has been the largest number of young Australians getting their first job in the last year than in any other year on record. This is not small stuff. These are huge achievements. Those opposite will talk about petty nonsense because they want to run from the facts, that when you face the big picture, when you look at what is really going on in the lives of Australians, there is more opportunity for success coming to every Australian than has been the case in more than a decade, and that is really very good news.

The percentage of working-age Australians who receive welfare in this country has fallen to just 15.1 per cent. That's the lowest rate of welfare dependency we have seen in this country in over 25 years.