Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Molan for the question because, since we were elected to government, this side of politics has ensured that the economy has created in excess now of 1.5 million jobs. As of December 2019, we now have a record number of Australians in employment: almost 13 million Australians are in employment because the Morrison government, the coalition government, has put in place the policies that are ensuring that employers out there are able to prosper, grow and create more jobs for Australians.

Additionally, we now have record high male employment in Australia: 6,814,300 men. We have record high female employment, and I acknowledge the Minister for Women and the great work that she is doing to increase women's workforce participation—in particular, in light of International Women's Day coming up. We also have record high youth employment in Australia: almost two million young people in Australia are in employment because of the policies that this side of politics, the Liberal-National side of politics, have put in place.

Over the calendar year to December 2019, employment increased by over 260,000 jobs. That is above the decade average growth but also, in terms of those jobs, almost 60 per cent of them were full-time jobs. That's right: the policies that we're putting in place on the Liberal-National side of the government are able to ensure that all types of jobs are created but, in particular, full-time jobs growth is high under this government.