Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

So we have that tirade from the Leader of the Opposition—the man who, as a union leader, sold out his members again and again. He was prepared to exchange penalty rates for cleaners in return for a secret deal with the employer, with money going back to the union. This is a great leader, we're told! He wants to be Prime Minister. He voted against making payments between large companies and unions transparent. Can you believe that! He's actually in favour of secret and corrupting payments. He didn't want them to be banned. He didn't want the public to know, the members of unions to know, about it—one deal after another, behind the backs of the men and women he was supposed to represent.

Right through this parliament, we have been able, despite his negativity, to deliver one great economic step in advancing the interests of hardworking Australian families. The Leader of the Opposition doesn't seem to care that last year we had the largest jobs growth in Australia's history, the largest jobs growth in any single year, over 400,000 jobs. And we have economic growth which is now faster, higher, than any of the G7 economies. Economic management is a key priority for governments. There you are. Highest jobs growth, high economic growth and employment. We now have unemployment at its lowest level since November 2012. We want to see it lower and we want to see wages growth higher, but what we are doing is delivering stronger economic growth, more jobs and lower unemployment. What that will deliver, as the Reserve Bank was saying only today, is higher wages, and we are starting to see that movement in higher wages. It all comes from a stronger economy. That, we've been able to do at the same time as we have reduced taxes for Australians, Australian families.

We've introduced and passed through the House—with a one-seat majority, he reminds me of regularly—and through the Senate, where we are in a minority, the largest personal income tax reform in 20 years. So hardworking Australian families, middle-income taxpayers, are getting $530 back each during this current financial year.

Mr Snowdon interjecting—

See this speech in context