Senate debates

Tuesday, 10 September 2019

Questions without Notice

Economy

2:08 pm

Photo of Mathias CormannMathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Vice-President of the Executive Council) Share this | Hansard source

That is a complete misrepresentation of what I said. When we came into government, we inherited rising unemployment. The point I made at the time is that, under Hawke and Keating, it used to be something that the Labor Party believed in too that it is actually desirable to keep unemployment lower by allowing wages to adjust in the context of prevailing economic conditions. That is what happened after Labor let the unemployment rate go up and up.

But let me tell you this: wages growth under us is stronger than it has been at any time since 2013-14, which was the last financial year Labor delivered a budget. It's the strongest it has been. It is running above inflation. We would like it to be even stronger, and that will only happen as a result of our plan to build a stronger economy and create more jobs. When even old socialists like the member for Port Adelaide are criticising the Labor Party for having gone too far to the left, the Australian people know that the Labor Party has a problem.

Comments

No comments