Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party, Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Hansard source

People want work. They want hope. They want aspiration. And they are getting it under the Liberals and Nationals. Indeed, prior to the onset of COVID-19, the economy was on a very, very strong foundation. The government had delivered more than—wait for it—1½ million jobs.

An opposition member: Wages!

And wages relate to jobs. I tell you what: I'd sooner have a job than be unemployed. The best form of welfare is a job. In regional Australia at the moment, there are 67,500 jobs, as identified by the Regional Australia Institute. They're not just in orchards. They're not just in the boning rooms of meat-processing plants. They are in health. They are in education. They are in law firms. They are in accountancy practices. They are good, well-paying jobs at the moment in regional Australia.

But right across the nation we are putting in place the policies—as per the budget last October, as per the budget on 11 May—to incentivise employers to hire people, to pay them the wages. We are under the wage system that was set up under Labor. Under Labor, the Fair Work Ombudsman's office had its staffing slashed, had its funding slashed. Treasury forecasted that the unemployment rate would reach 7½ per cent in the March quarter 2021. Our budget for 2021-22 sees the unemployment rate reaching five per cent by the June quarter, 2022. There are other countries in the world which would love to have those figures. Jobs figures will be out later this week. The Treasurer will have more to say about that, but it will be very positive.

Mr McCormack interjecting—

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