Kevin Hogan (Page, National Party, Assistant Minister to the Deputy Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

I was thinking about why the opposition are constantly negative about everything. Never a positive sound comes out of the other side on any subject that is ever debated in this place. I think I know what part of it is. I think that, when you lose seven of the last nine elections—when in seven of the last nine elections the Australian people have said, 'We don't put our faith and trust in you'—it makes it very difficult to find your happy place. I think it makes it very difficult for you to find your happy place when the Australian public has said no to you seven out of nine times. I think that's what's going on, because there is much to celebrate about Australia right now. There is much to celebrate about us economically. There's much to celebrate about us on the health front. But you never hear anything about that from those opposite. You never hear any positive statement on any subject.

We all know that at the start of COVID Treasury was saying that, if the government didn't do something, there was the potential for unemployment to go to 15 per cent in this country, that we could lose 20 per cent of our economy given the shutdowns that had to happen when the global pandemic was declared. That was the forecast.

Through a whole lot of economic programs like JobKeeper and many others, what we have managed to achieve—with the help of the Australian people in adhering to social distancing, hand hygiene and a whole lot of other activities—is to cap the unemployment rate. It stopped going up at 7½ per cent, and since then it has gone from 7½ per cent to 5.6 per cent. In the budget papers presented last night, it's predicted to go below five. Is there a happy place you can find about that? No. Can you acknowledge that? No, because you've been in opposition too long to celebrate anything about this country. You've been in opposition too long to see any positivity about what is going on in this country. We are the third-fastest-growing economy in the world. Do you hear anything about that? No, you don't hear anything positive come out of anyone over there, and that's why the Australian public don't trust them. That's why the Australian public keep saying no: because they don't trust you. They don't trust you, because you can't say anything positive about this country.

You might say that they might be able to find a happy place about something with the pandemic. We are seeing another wave sweep through the developing world. We are seeing third and fourth waves pop up in other countries. Again, in Australia there is some great news. You can't eliminate this virus, but on so many levels we have combated it, fought it and contained it—again, with the great cooperation and the great attitudes of the Australian public. We have all but eliminated this virus. We have few outbreaks, and when we do have outbreaks we get them under control very well. Is there anything positive about that? No, there is no happy place for those opposite on that either. They will pick on any piece of negativity they can find on the economy or on health—again, no happy place with those opposite. That is why the Australian public do not trust them and do not vote them into government.

I would throw this challenge out to those opposite: if everything is so bad here, tell me one country you would rather be in right now, on either a health front or an economic front, than Australia. Tell me one place in the world you would rather be in right now than Australia, on either a health front or an economic front. I don't think there is one. I think Australia is a great nation. I think Australia is a great country. I think we are doing exceptionally well on the very severe challenges that we face, as the globe does, on a health front and on an economic front. There is some great news. There are some great statistics in last night's budget. We will continue as a government to look out for the Australian public, on the health front and on the economic front, and that's why Australians put their faith and trust in us, not you.

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