Wayne Swan (Lilley, Australian Labor Party, Treasurer) Share this | Hansard source

Those opposite did ignore the capacity constraints in the Australian economy precisely at the time that we needed them to put in place some far-sighted reforms. And they did not do it. They ignored 20 warnings from the Reserve Bank over three years about capacity constraints in the Australian economy. This government will not ignore those capacity constraints. At the very core of the program that we took to the Australian people are schemes to address the skills shortage and a whole series of plans to deal with infrastructure bottlenecks. This government will expand the skills base in this economy. The Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations has already announced additional training places, and we have announced what we are doing in terms of infrastructure.

But also, in this environment, what is really important is labour force participation. Enhancing labour force participation, giving incentives to Australians who work hard, is very important. So I am proud to say that today I introduced into the House the tax cuts that will provide incentive for people not only to further participate—

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