Kelly O'Dwyer (Higgins, Liberal Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer) Share this | Hansard source

For anybody listening to this debate, I think it is worth reiterating what it was that the matter being brought forward by those opposite actually is. The matter is: 'The failure of the government to provide stable and competent government at a time of increased unemployment and economic uncertainty'. I have not heard anything from those opposite that goes to the real question as to whether or not this government is providing stable government and whether or not we have the economic vision right for the nation. I am here to say that the answer is that we are providing stable government and we are providing the right economic vision for the nation. I know those opposite, those in the Labor Party, do not like to let facts get in the way of a good story but, for those interested in this motion, it is important to get some of those economic facts on the record.

The first is on employment. Let's just understand this. Have the employment figures gone up or have they gone down? They have gone up. There are now over 300,000 people in Australia who are in work as a result of the policy settings of this government. More Australians are in work than ever before. And, in fact, more women in Australia are at work than ever before—more than 160,000 women are in jobs since the time that the previous government was in government in 2013. In fact, in Australia jobs growth this year has been 10 times that of the legacy that Labor left us with. When you compare us to the rest of the world—and I know they like to compare us to the rest of the world—jobs growth in Australia over the past year has been stronger than that of the US, the UK and Canada. In fact, it has been stronger than that of any other G7 nation. So do not let facts get in the way of a good story, because they do not fit with the narrative that those opposite are presenting.

Why is our focus on the economic policy of this country and on creating jobs working? It is working because we are focused on long-term plans and on a vision for the future of this nation, such as the economic opportunity that comes from delivering free trade agreements. During the course of this government we have been able to deliver three free trade agreements: with China, with South Korea and also with Japan. The one we are looking to deliver right now is with China, and that is the one that is at risk because of those opposite.

Independent modelling has demonstrated that, if we can deliver all three of these free trade agreements, we will add more than $24 billion over the next 20 years to our economy. That $24 billion will mean that we have increased opportunities for Australian businesses to grow jobs, our exporters will have access to markets that they have never had access to before, and our financial services industry will have, in China, the opportunity to compete as never before. This is to the great benefit of all Australians. But what are the risks? Well, let's go to one of the Labor luminaries who I think outlines the great economic risk that is in this place. Martin Ferguson said—

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