Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

As this government understands in the marrow of its bones, it is not government that creates jobs; it is profitable businesses that create jobs. It is not government that creates wealth; it is profitable businesses that create wealth. Government's job is to make it easier for those businesses to flourish.

Our plan for a stronger economy with more jobs starts with abolishing the carbon tax, because let's not forget that the carbon tax is a $9 billion a year tax on jobs and it is a $106 million a year tax on Qantas. It continues with scrapping the mining tax, which has done so much to reduce investment in our country. It goes on with cutting red tape. We are committed to a $1 billion red tape cost saving for the businesses of Australia. We are also committed to trying to ensure that the rule of law operates in all of our workplaces through restoring the Australian Building and Construction Commission, and that in a previous incarnation was responsible for $6 billion worth of productivity improvements.

We will create a million new jobs within five years. We will create two million new jobs within a decade. The challenge of government is not to guarantee every single existing job; the challenge of government is to ensure that there are new and better jobs available to the workers of Australia when they want them and when they need them.

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