Ted O'Brien (Fairfax, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

So here's the thing: the Labor Party will rant and they will froth, but the one thing they cannot produce is one skerrick of evidence to suggest that the coalition government has not done a competent job in managing the greatest threat to our economy since the Great Depression. That is why, when you look at the scoreboard, you see those economic outcomes.

From the very beginning, the Prime Minister, the Treasurer and the team have made it clear that our economic response to this dual crisis of health and the economy is based on three principles: our response will be targeted, it will be temporary and it will be commensurate. The good thing about what you have with a coalition government is the consistency of our approach. Those three principles have driven the coalition government's response to COVID-19, and they continue to drive it.

That is why, indeed, unlike those opposite, we celebrate companies graduating from JobKeeper. The opposition don't. The shadow Treasurer stood here, putting forward his case for this MPI, criticising businesses for graduating from JobKeeper. Despicable! A despicable presentation! What it goes to is the problem with the Labor Party, which is inherently anti the private sector. Clearly, they don't want businesses to graduate; they want businesses to continue to rely on the taxpayer. But taxpayer money is not the plaything of the Labor Party. Taxpayer money is not the plaything of government. It might be the way that Labor heavies run the union movement, but it is not the way responsible governments manage the books—the money of the taxpayers.

This is why, where there are some targeted supports required, this government continues to step up. It is why last week we saw over $1 billion allocated to aviation and tourism, with half-price airfares, ensuring that people in that sector—who will indeed continue to feel the pain—get that targeted, temporary, proportionate response, that support, because that's the only way that we can ensure that the Australian economy gets back and we can continue our recovery.

We know, as do those opposite, despite their complaints today, that the Australian people and Australian businesses are doing a wonderful job, and this government is supporting them. Over 13 per cent of GDP is the value of the support from the Australian government. As to my state of Queensland, if you look at the Queensland Labor government, their support comes in at two per cent of their GSP. Let me say that again for those opposite, who don't understand maths all that well: 13 per cent is higher than two per cent—

Opposition members interjecting—

See this speech in context