Gladys Liu (Chisholm, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

It is important to speak on the Morrison government's plan to create jobs, to get Aussie businesses firing and to drive our national economic recovery. First, though, let's look at where we were this time last year. With the benefit of hindsight, it is easy to forget how little we all knew about COVID-19 at that time. As case numbers rose, it seemed that every day brought new theories, forecasts and speculations. Misinformation, fear and panic were abundant. Between March, when Australia recorded its 100th case, and May, 872,000 jobs were lost as restrictions took their toll and business confidence fell sharply. Amidst this uncertainty, the Morrison government acted decisively. Our emergency response, including JobKeeper and an increased JobSeeker rate, softened the blow, supporting Australians through the darkest days of the pandemic. The success of this response has been widely acknowledged, with the Reserve Bank reporting in November last year that a further 700,000 Australians would have lost their jobs if not for JobKeeper and our triple A credit rating being retained.

But we knew then that the work wasn't over, as we know now that it's not over. Cushioning the blow of the virus was necessary, but it was nowhere near sufficient. The people of Australia expect us, and we intend, to deliver a strong and sustained economic recovery which will help drive the unemployment rate down as fast as possible. That's where our JobMaker plan comes in, supporting aggregate demand and more jobs in the near term, while also starting to deliver the flexible and dynamic economy that we need to unlock Australia's longer term growth potential. Core policies that fall within this framework include lowering taxes, putting more money back in the pockets of Australians; creating an estimated 100,000 jobs by the end of the 2021-22 financial year; investing an additional $14 billion in new and accelerated infrastructure projects over the next four years; supporting an extra 340,000 free or low-fee training places for school leavers and jobseekers; and, with the $4 billion JobMaker hiring credit, providing businesses with an incentive to employ younger Australians, a group disproportionately impacted by the pandemic.

On top of this, specific targeted packages have been prepared for industries particularly affected by COVID-19. For example, Australia's arts industry will be backed by a new $250 million package to help restart our creative economy and get the entertainment, arts and screen sectors back to work. These are examples, but even a quick glance at the raft of policy measures put forward by the Morrison government reveals a clearly defined set of objectives for our JobMaker plan, supporting a stronger economy, driving a faster recovery in employment, investing in skills and higher education, improving the ease of doing business and supporting the manufacturing and energy sectors. This isn't reading between the lines. It's plain to see it's what makes the opposition's suggestion that there is no plan for jobs simply laughable; it's just incorrect. But those opposite know this is just more political spin and more Labor lies cooked up by the marketers and focus groups. Australians deserve better.

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