Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Corangamite for his question and for raising the important national issue of unemployment, of jobs and of Australians who have families to support having jobs. It is something, of course, that the Liberal Party clearly cares nothing about, given the question that we have just seen raised in question time today and given the statements of the shadow Treasurer that keeping people in work is not an economic objective as far as the Liberal Party is concerned. Today we received the ABS data for last month and a record of the unemployment rate, and unemployment held steady at 5.8 per cent.

The member for Corangamite would have ascertained that unemployment remained steady at 5.8 per cent. He may have ascertained that by going to the ABS website to have a look at the data, or he may have ascertained that unemployment must have held steady because he did not see the Leader of the Opposition appear at a press conference. When it comes to the ABS unemployment series, on the Thursdays on which we deal with that, the Leader of the Opposition is like a political undertaker: you only ever see him if there is bad news. The political undertaker turned up in February, because unemployment went up. He turned up in March, because unemployment went up. He did not turn up in April, when unemployment went down. He turned up in May, when unemployment went up. He turned up in June, when unemployment went up. But, of course, in July and August, when the unemployment rate was steady, the political undertaker was nowhere to be seen. It just goes to show that nothing excites the Liberal Party more than bad news. The only thing they are ever interested in is bad news. That attitude about bad news—waiting for an unemployment number that goes up, seeking to celebrate when they see a bit of bad economic news—transfers into their attitude to education policy, economic stimulus and programs to support Australian jobs.

The member for Corangamite has asked me about programs to support Australian jobs. Of course, he is familiar with the operation of the Building the Education Revolution program in his electorate and the support it is providing for jobs for local tradespeople. In his electorate, work is being done at an indoor stadium at the Torquay school and work is being done at the St Therese Catholic Primary School. That work is employing people from the following contractors: Wes Marshall, plumbing—jobs; Aaron Mitchell, painting—jobs; Easy Shades—jobs; GJ Handyman Services—jobs; Geelong Concrete Grinding—jobs; and New Wave Electrics—jobs. Members opposite are interested in what building looks like. Well, here is a picture of people working on this job in the electorate of Corangamite—real people, real work, people working, people employed and people taking money home to their families.

That is what Building the Education Revolution is about—while engaging in the biggest school modernisation program in Australia’s history. This is a government that is focused on doing what we can to cushion Australians from the effects of a global recession whilst delivering the education system that we need for the future. This is an opposition that is focused on bad news—and the height of their policy development after almost two years in opposition is to be concerned about a local planning dispute and trees in Unley!

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