Luke Howarth (Petrie, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

It's great to rise in this place today to talk about pensioners and older Australians in my electorate. I want to thank all the pensioners in my electorate, almost 20,000 of them, for their contribution to Australia. I often speak in schools, and I'll go and talk to the young people. We know that we have the best country in the world, and that's because of those older Australians: the legacy that they've left us, the work that they've done and the contribution that they've made to Australia. That's why it's so important that we continue to run a strong economy. We know that in April next year the budget will be in surplus for the first time since the Howard government some 12 years ago. That's great news, not just for older Australians who rely on essential services but also for our children, the younger people in our electorates right around the nation, because they won't be hit with higher taxes and debt because of this current generation. So a surplus will be great.

Mr Deputy Speaker Hogan, did you know that the unemployment rate nationally is down to about five per cent? Listening to those opposite, you wouldn't know that over a million jobs have been created in Australia over the last few years, and so many more in just this year alone. Every fortnight, there are five million Australians who receive a pension.

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