Gerard Rennick (Queensland, Liberal Party) | Hansard source

Sorry. So I think we do have a plan, and the plan is showing in the results. As I just said, we have a trade surplus and a current account surplus and will have a government surplus. When we've got a plan like that, what we've got to do is keep it going straight and forward, and that's what we're doing. We're not promising to save the whales or anything like that. We've got our eye on the road, and that's where we intend to stay.

The constant talking-down by these people of the economy is putting their own self-interest in front of the people. They want to talk down the economy. They want to scare the people from spending, but we've got record participation rates. We've got a solid employment growth rate—twice the growth rate of the rest of the OECD—and that's quite the achievement given the trade wars that are going on now, I think. It's interesting that they have to cry crocodile tears over Australia's unemployed, because, had they been elected, they would have sent a wrecking ball through the construction industry and the mining industry.

Despite the global headwinds, the Australian economy is doing not just well but spectacularly well. We've seen reported in the media that the Labor Party are now saying they've got to go back and revise their own policies. They're at a loss. By what percentage are you going to reduce carbon emissions? That's the big question we all want answered. What's their newest plan to save the world? The answer is: they don't know. They don't know, do they? They haven't got a clue. As Senator Cormann said earlier today, they'll still in their seven stages of grieving, wondering what went wrong.

Senator Scarr interjecting—

That's right. Triple surplus! I can't wait until we get to that: current account surplus, trade surplus and government surplus. That is going to be something special. And you guys over there are talking it down because you can't admit that this government is doing a fantastic job at managing the economy. It is quite the achievement. It's a good way for me to start my political career, to be in a government with such a strong set of numbers: a strong employment rate, with a record 1.4 million people in jobs, and a high participation rate. That's a reflection of the confidence that people have in this economy. They haven't given up.

The Labor Party has given up. They don't know what their plan is now. What percentage are you going to reduce carbon emissions by? The left faction doesn't want to do this, does it? You'd go to 100 per cent if you could. Good luck with that! You'll bring the economy to its knees. You're worried about actually stopping growth; mate, you'll kill the economy. I know what that's like, having been in Queensland and watched what the state Labor government has done to Queensland over the last 30 years.