Bert Van Manen (Forde, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

What an interesting year 2020 has been. When we came back from the Christmas holidays of 2019, we could hardly have imagined, in the depths and midst of the bushfire crisis at the start of the year, that at the end of 2020 we would be dealing with a global health crisis precipitated by the coronavirus. Many in my electorate over this last nine months or so have found their lives changed irrevocably, and we've all had to recalibrate what we do, why we do it and how we do it. Many have lost their jobs or had their hours cut, families have struggled to make ends meet and many of our small and family businesses have also been affected, particularly those in the retail, hospitality and tourism sectors.

The importance of this budget can't be understated in view of what has happened this year. What this budget was all about was providing hope to Australians that there is opportunity in the future. The Treasurer said in his budget speech that there are early signs that the Australian economy is fighting back. Businesses are reopening their doors and people are getting back to work. Of the 1.3 million people who lost their jobs or were stood down early in the crisis, more than 760,000 are now back working. And I've seen that in my electorate. Of the people whose businesses have reopened and, surprisingly, even the people that have taken a chance and started a new business during this crisis are doing well and prospering. But they are doing well and prospering because of the sense of confidence that the supports that this government has provided over the last nine months have worked. They are supporting people through difficult times. It is this light at the end of the tunnel that we seek to provide and Australians can be confident the Morrison government is there to support them and their families on the road to recovery. What is important is that often we can talk about things such as support and help and assistance, but what's more important in times of crisis is that it's actually delivered. That's what this government has done. It has delivered the supports necessary for individuals and families, for businesses and the broader community, to get through this crisis and be in reasonable shape to recover and rebuild our economy as we come out of this crisis and the COVID-19 impacts wane over time.

This budget lays out our plans for that economic recovery, and fundamental to these plans is jobs. Our plans are about creating the opportunity for our businesses and individuals to build new businesses and create jobs to employ people, because we know that economic activity that employs people is what creates our economic wealth. It's about getting Australians back to work and, importantly, securing the future for thousands of young Australians, who also have been particularly hard hit by the pandemic. Our plans put everyday Australians front and centre of the recovery, not government, because on this side of the chamber we recognise that it's everyday Australians, through their hard work, ingenuity, grit and determination, who will carry this nation forward into the future. It's not about the government constantly being involved in that. It's about letting Australians get on with what they do best. Government is not the solution; our Australians are.

There are Australians like Terry Gulliver, who owns and operates Gullivers Coomera on the northern Gold Coast. Terry founded the small family owned business way back in 1998 and has since grown the business to one of the Gold Coast's largest swim schools, delivering 65,000 lessons a year and a sports based outside school hours care program. Gullivers Coomera was the pilot used in 2003 to launch the federal government's outside school hours care program, which is now active right across the country. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Gullivers Coomera employed a total of 53 staff. When the pandemic hit, Terry faced the prospect of having to close his business and stand staff down. Fortunately, the Morrison government's JobKeeper program meant Terry could retain 46 of his 53 staff and eventually even hire four more workers during this period. He also took advantage of our expanded instant asset write-off by purchasing two new state-of-the-art water purification systems at a cost of $60,000. Importantly, these were manufactured by a local business down the road at Nerang, Brauer Industries. This is a story of growth, following one of the most difficult periods in our nation's history. Importantly, it's not unique. I'm sure many members in this place would tell similar stories of recovery and growth happening across communities around the country and, importantly, in my electorate of Forde.

The Morrison government's 2020-21 budget is one designed and focused on jobs. It is designed to build on the measures that have saved jobs and create even more jobs in order to drive the economic recovery in the electorate of Forde and across the nation. Measures such as providing a temporary tax incentive will allow around 18,000 businesses in Forde to write off the full value of any eligible asset they purchase, building on the government's successful instant asset write-off measure announced earlier this year. This measure will allow thousands of businesses in Forde like Gullivers Coomera to invest in and grow their businesses. Terry has already told me that, as a result of these tax incentives, he will purchase for his business new pool covers, a coffee machine, a new air-conditioning system and a new bus to improve his services to the community and grow his business. This represents investments of over $130,000 for this year alone, in the middle of a pandemic.

Why is this important? Well, I think we can use this one example, of Gullivers Coomera, to explain why when we break down the impacts of this business investment in the local community. As I mentioned earlier, Terry's $60,000 water purification system meant work for local Nerang based manufacturers Brauer Industries. When I was at Gullivers recently, I was speaking to the technicians from Brauer who installed the system. They were saying over 90 per cent of the components of the system were sourced from local supply chains in Australia, so there were jobs created through the installation. There were also jobs created through the installation and maintenance of the pool covers. The installation of new air conditioning means work for our local installers and electricians. And the new bus will need to be maintained and serviced, which means more jobs for local mechanics and service centres. In just this one example we can see how the government, acting as a catalyst for recovery, is enabling business to invest and grow while creating dozens of jobs in the process.

It is not just business benefitting from the budget. There are also hardworking Australians who will benefit from the tax relief delivered by bringing forward stage 2 of our legislated personal income tax plan by two years, and extending the low- and middle-income tax offset for an additional year. This measure alone means some 79,200 taxpayers in Forde will benefit from tax relief of up to $2,745 this year to support their spending on their lifestyles, and to help them get through this difficult period. Treasury estimates the personal income tax relief from this budget will create an additional 50,000 jobs by the end of 2021-22. These jobs will come from locals spending in their community on the things they want and need, because this government has ensured that more of what they earn stays in their pockets. They get to make the decision on how they spend it.

In addition, some 17,186 aged pensioners and 2,686 carers in Forde have already received economic support payments of $750 in April and July, and will receive a further $250 in payments in December and in March next year. This will support senior Australians and those on income support in a particularly difficult time, and further support our economic recovery. Senior Australians like Diane and Gordon Bradbury, who live at Palm Lake Resort at Waterford, used the initial economic support payments on some unforeseen medical expenses, repairs to the car and to help the family. They told me the additional payments announced in the budget were a welcome boost to their household, allowing them to bring forward plans on purchasing some new furniture. Stories like Diane and Gordon's are not unique across the electorate of Forde, and thousands of residents are benefitting from the Morrison government's strong economic management, which has put us in a position of strength to respond to this crisis with targeted economic support while keeping Australians safe. That's what this is all about. It's about giving Australians the support they need to face the challenges ahead.

This year has been tough for all of us, especially for young Australians, whether it's somebody who has just started at university or a new job, or decided to start a family or get into their first home. I know the past few months have been challenging for young people in Forde. We know now that many of the jobs lost at the beginning of the pandemic were held by young people, and that young Australians also face the greatest risk of long-term unemployment as a result of the recession. This budget seeks to prevent that from happening. The budget seeks to secure the future of young Australians by giving our kids a solid foundation to achieve their hopes and dreams. It secures their future by investing in skills and training, delivering incentives for employers to hire young people, helping Australians getting into their first home, cutting waste and superannuation and, where necessary—and importantly, as we know across this place—providing mental health support to young people who are struggling. Equally, it also guarantees the essential services many of our young people rely on, whether its education or health.

Locally, we've seen the impact of our positive plan for the economic recovery on our young people. Our plan has given businesses in the electorate of Forde the confidence they need to invest, grow and, importantly, hire young people, businesses like Holmwood Highgate at Loganholme, a local family owned business involved in advanced manufacturing. I had the great privilege of visiting Holmwood Highgate recently with the Prime Minister when he was in Queensland. We spoke to the owner, Wade Mellish. When I asked Wade what the budget meant for him and his business, he said, 'The budget has been a good stimulus to our business. What we can now do is go out and happily invest and be a successful business going forward because we have the confidence to invest in new technologies, put on apprentices and keep employing Australians to make good Australian products.' In fact, thanks to measures such as the JobMaker Hiring Credit and the Boosting Apprenticeships Commencements program, business owners across Forde, like Wade, can move forward having the confidence and the incentives to give young Australians a job. That's what this is all about: giving our kids the skills and opportunities they need for a successful life.

This budget also delivers on the infrastructure our communities need to get residents home sooner and safer, while creating much needed construction jobs to drive economic activity. Locally, the Morrison government is delivering $38 million in road safety upgrades and shovel-ready projects in Forde, with work starting this financial year. We're also getting on with fixing the M1 and upgrading the Mount Lindesay Highway, with a $37.5 million investment to upgrade the Mount Lindesay Highway at Park Ridge, duplicating the highway from Stoney Camp Road to Chambers Flat Road, creating a safer road to ensure commuters, tradies and transport companies can get home sooner and safer. Some of the road safety improvements include Beaudesert Beenleigh Road, Beenleigh Redland Bay Road and exits at exits 41, 45 and 49 on the M1. We are doing all this without raising taxes, because our strong economic management over the past six years has put us in a position of strength to respond to the challenges.

I commend this bill in its original form to the House.

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