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

I thank Senator Brockman for that supplementary question. The OECD has praised Australia for acting quickly to close our borders and put in place the necessary health restrictions which helped us to successfully flatten the curve. The OECD has praised Australia for its massive macroeconomic support. That economic support was only possible because we entered this crisis from a position of economic and fiscal strength. Growth was increasing at the end of last year. Unemployment was falling in February. We had returned the budget to balance for the first time in 11 years. Because of that strength, we have been able to provide support of $260 billion, or 13.3 per cent of GDP, in support of workers, households and business. There's still a long way to go in recovering from this once-in-100-years global pandemic, but we're heading in the right direction. It is important that we remain vigilant and that all Australians do everything they can to avoid a second wave of infection.