Josh Frydenberg (Kooyong, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Hansard source

It's a very good point. The honourable member asked about the support that we were giving to the Australian economy. I can confirm that, in the Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook, which was released just prior to Christmas, we announced the bringing forward of $4.2 billion in funding and spending on infrastructure. And we announced more than half a billion dollars extra for aged care. And, since the election, we've announced about $1.3 billion of commitments over and above what had previously been announced in relation to responding to the drought.

Those on this side of the House know that we announced a $2 billion national bushfire recovery fund, which was on top of the payments and allowances which we provide from the Commonwealth through the states. That $2 billion was announced without increasing taxes. And I remind the House that today unemployment is at 5.1 per cent. When we came to government, unemployment was at 5.7 per cent. I remind the House that employment growth today is at 2.1 per cent—around three times what it was under the Labor Party and around twice the OECD average. I refer to the real minimum wage. It has gone up every year under the coalition, whereas, under the Labor Party, it went down in three out of their six years in office. The Labor Party are in favour of higher taxes, they're in favour of fewer jobs and they're in favour of stronger unions. What we on this side of the House are in favour of is more jobs, lower taxes and a stronger Australian economy.

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