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

I thank the member for Bass for her question. She's been a mayor of George Town Council, she's been a farmer and she's a great representative for the people of Bass and for the people of Tasmania. Around $1 billion in JobKeeper payments have gone to the people of Tasmania, over $500 million in cash flow boost payments have gone to the people of Tasmania, and more than 230,000 Tasmanians will get a tax cut this year as a result of the actions of those on this side of the House.

The budget on Tuesday night was 'the right budget at the right time'. They're not my words; they're the words of the Business Council of Australia. The budget on Tuesday night was 'a budget for business, new and old. It pulls two fundamental economic levers: productivity and participation.' They're not my words; they're the words of the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. 'The budget on Tuesday night was arguably the most important budget of a generation, outlining a pragmatic but bold spending agenda that will accelerate agriculture's growth and regional Australia's contribution to the nation's bottom line.' They weren't my words; that was the National Farmers Federation of Australia.

The reality is that this budget was all about jobs. This budget was all about jobs because we've seen our unemployment rate go up. The history of recessions in Australia is that unemployment goes up the elevator and comes down the stairs. Those who have been most impacted have been young people. In the 1990s it took a full decade to get the unemployment rate back to where it started, but it took 15 years to get the unemployment rate for younger people back to where it started. That's why this side of the House supports a JobMaker hiring credit for those who are aged 16 to 35, which will support, according to Treasury, around 450,000 jobs. That's why the people on this side of the House have supported $4 billion in support for 180,000 apprentices, protecting their jobs, and including incentives to embed another 100,000 apprentices into jobs, with $1.2 billion of support. That's why people on this side of the House support our JobTrainer program, helping to create 340,000 places for training. We on this side of the House are in favour of jobs. The budget on Tuesday night will deliver just that.

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