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

[by video link] I thank the member for Robertson for her question. You have just heard from the Treasurer very eloquently the significant steps we're making in the economic comeback from the COVID-19 recession. But today is a very special day. A very important milestone has been reached in this comeback from the COVID-19 recession. Today is the day when the borders are tumbling down. Australia was not built for borders, and I welcome the announcements that have been made and the initiation of the opening up of those borders, whether it's between Queensland and New South Wales or, indeed, the announcement by the Western Australian Premier, who I spoke to earlier today, that Western Australian borders will also be open to those in New South Wales and other places.

This is an important part of the comeback. We said we would work to get Australia open by Christmas and, on the record of the achievement so far, we are well and truly on that path. So I thank the premiers and the chief ministers for the way we've worked together patiently. There have been a few disagreements, but the outcome is what matters, and that outcome is an Australia that is opening safely. The challenge now is to remain safely open. This is important to opening businesses. This is important to opening up more job opportunities. The work that has been done has been underpinned by a confidence in a public health response that has been put in place; working together at state, territory and federal levels; and not just treasurers working together but health ministers working together. I acknowledge all of those who have been working, to that end, to get the confidence to the point where we are today, which puts Australia in stark contrast to so many other countries around the world.

The results of this comeback are there to see. The results of that comeback, as the Treasurer said, are some 80 per cent of jobs and lost hours restored and 75 per cent on the figures of measured employment, and that is something we welcome—648,000 measured employment jobs coming back into the economy. The effective unemployment rate, which takes into account the people who have had to leave the labour force or have their hours reduced to zero, has fallen from almost 15 per cent to 7.4 per cent and continues to fall—a strong outcome, in the labour market, in the face of the biggest and most significant impact to our jobs in this country since the Great Depression.

We have seen more than two million Australians graduate off JobKeeper in the recent months alone—the JobKeeper program has been a lifeline, and it has now proved to be a springboard for those businesses and those Australians now able to be supported by businesses, in their own right, without the need for taxpayer assistance. Business and consumer confidence has returned to pre-COVID levels and private dwelling approvals have reached a 20-year high, all of this demonstrating that a comeback is on, but we know there is a lot more to go. The figures are encouraging but there is more support and there is more standing by Australians needed, and we will do that. (Time expired)

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