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

The member for Bruce has moved this motion with absolutely no consideration for Australia's strong economic recovery. Last week, national accounts confirmed that a strong broad-based recovery is well underway. Australia's economy grew by a massive 3.1 per cent in the December quarter, having been outperformed only by the 3.4 per cent rise in the quarter preceding it. To date we have recovered around 85 per cent of the economy that existed prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. The coalition government's HomeBuilder package has driven investment, seeing a rise of 4.1 per cent. Our business tax incentives have seen business investment expanded by 2.6 per cent. Meanwhile, machinery and equipment investment has risen by 8.1 per cent. These are extraordinary numbers, and we are beating all forecasts. While MYEFO forecast an unemployment rate of 7.5 per cent in the March quarter of 2021, the RBA is now predicting the unemployment rate to be six per cent by the end of 2021. These economic indicators are strong and a sign that our economy is recovering. It's not just the national economy. All of Australia's states and territories have seen their economies start to grow again. This is fantastic. Sadly, through the COVID-19 pandemic, 1. 3 million Australians lost their jobs or saw their hours reduced. It is wonderful to hear that 94 per cent of those people are now back at work. The job certainly isn't done but these indicators are good. The Prime Minister and all members of his cabinet should be congratulated for their strong leadership during these tough times.

Not only is Australia's economic recovery well underway, but the Morrison government is also putting the framework in place to drive the improvements in education which will see our country prosper well into the future. The Morrison government understands that Australia's fortunes tomorrow depend on the quality of our education system today, which is why we are continuing to deliver record funding for higher education and for Australian schools in all sectors.

But we also know that funding alone is not the answer to improving student outcomes. To achieve sustainable results, we need to invest in long-term strategic reform in areas which are proven to have the greatest impact. That's where the 2019 National School Reform Agreement comes in. By working with the states and territories, we can deliver real and practical change for Australian students, lifting outcomes across our schools and across the nation. The focus is threefold: supporting students, supporting our hardworking teachers and building the national evidence base. We know that there is room for improvement in our education system. Australia can do better, but the way forward is by delivering increased funding and by working with our state and territory governments, whether they be Labor or Liberal-National. That's what we are doing. The member for Bruce can take pot-shots if he likes. We will just get on with the job.

The upshot of our focus on the economy is that we can continue to guarantee the essential services that Australians rely on; we can continue to fund health and education at record levels; and we can deliver on plans that will see Australia remain strong and grow even stronger in the future. That's why it is so important to see that the coalition government, the Morrison government, is working for all Australians.

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