Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

I will simply quote the member's own senior members in relation to these issues. They have said that the government needs to take into account all sorts of considerations about the state of the budget and the state of the economy and that they expect that a new JobSeeker rate will be lower than it is right now. That's what they've said. They've consistently said that the level of the JobSeeker COVID supplement would be at its elevated levels and then it would be reduced. That is what the Leader of the Opposition and the shadow Treasurer have said consistently, and that is what the government is doing.

The member opposite would be aware that, when you set these allowances, these rates, these welfare payments, if you set them at rates which can potentially impede the labour market from people moving into work as the economy strengthens, then that can prevent the economy being able to get people into work. Our job is to get people into jobs, not have them stay on welfare. Our plan is about getting businesses open; our plan is about getting Australians into jobs and off welfare. That's why the JobMaker hiring credit has been put in place in the budget. It specifically goes to Australians who have been on JobSeeker and go into a job—a job that will support their incomes, not just with the support of the government but the support of a viable business that is part of the great Australian comeback and recovery that is underway not only as a result of the tremendous resilience of Australians but also as a result of the strong policy settings and economic supports that were put in place by this government.

Those who need support will continue to receive it, and we have extended the JobSeeker coronavirus supplement out till the end of March, at a cost of $3.2 billion. But Australians always knew, as we went into these most difficult times, that the elevated support that was necessary during these times of crisis was not sustainable on an ongoing basis, and they understand that we need to regear the economy as we move through to the recovery and we return our economy to the strength that it was before. You don't achieve that by weighing it down. You do it by freeing it up. And our policies are about freeing up businesses to employ more Australians.

It may come as a surprise to the member opposite, but, all across regional Australia at the moment, there are farmers and orchardists and others who are crying out for people to come and work on their fields and to realise that harvest. And it was our government that put in place a $6,000 relocation allowance that could say to Australians who are in need of that work— (Time expired)

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