Katie Allen (Higgins, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

The Morrison government has the back of every Australian, and never more so than through the COVID pandemic. Not only do we know it, but every Australian knows it—except those opposite. Australia has faced a pretty serious pandemic, but we know that protecting the lives and livelihoods of each and every one of Australia's citizens is incredibly important, and that's why we are delivering for the needs of all Australians.

Suppress the virus and keep Australians safe—tick. Cement our economic recovery to create jobs—tick. Continue to guarantee the essential services that Australians rely on—tick. Protect and secure Australia's interest in a challenging world—tick. Care for our country—tick. We are the envy of the world with regard to both saving lives and saving livelihoods. You just have to look at the facts. Employment surged by 115,000 in May to a record high. Full-time employment rose by 97,500, another record high. The unemployment rate fell by 0.4 per cent to 5.1 per cent in May—another record. After the first recession in nearly 30 years, the Australian economy is roaring back, bigger, stronger and leading the world.

Participation is up; underemployment is down; 115,000 new jobs were created, of which 85 per cent were full-time jobs. And of those 115,000 new jobs, around 60 per cent went to women. Today there are more women in work than ever before, and the numbers should give Australians confidence that the Morrison government's economic plan is working. It's a plan that has been laid out in successive budgets: lower taxes, investment incentives for business, skills programs and record spending on infrastructure.

It is the Morrison government's economic plan that is delivering more jobs across Australia—and not just right across Australia, in every single electorate right across Australia. And in the seat of Higgins, my great seat of Higgins, over 6,600 individuals receive the coronavirus supplement, which was added to JobKeeper to provide additional support through the COVID pandemic crisis. I'm also proud this government has increased the JobSeeker rate to help those in need. It's the biggest increase in the last 30 years. Furthermore, around 9,300 age pensioners and over 1,800 carers in Higgins have received three support payments since the start of the pandemic, totalling $1,250 each. In Higgins there's been over 500,000 telehealth consultations through Medicare, which is an incredible transformation. The healthcare system has been transformed by our investment and our strategic direction. We've also increased funding for preschools in Higgins and made child care more affordable and accessible. Childcare reforms in this budget will directly benefit over 850 families living in Higgins. We've delivered a record investment in aged care to help the 23,181 senior Australians living in Higgins. We've delivered more home-care places and more funding for residential aged care and increased the amount of time residents are cared for, while we've strengthened regulators to monitor and enforce the standards of care.

By contrast, those opposite are not standing up for Australians. A case in point is Labor's ARENA disallowance motion. Labor sided with the Greens to vote against a technology-led approach to reducing emissions. Labor voted to cut $192 million of new funding for clean energy agency ARENA and programs that would create 1,400 new jobs. When it comes to reducing emissions, if it's not technology, Labor thinks it has to be taxes. Taxes are Labor's track record. Labor has shown their true colours. Chris Bowen and Labor have never seen a tax they didn't like. The regulation Labor voted down would have allowed ARENA to play a major role in driving investments in the next generation of technology, including energy efficiency, carbon capture technology, blue hydrogen, energy storage technologies to back up renewable energy, technologies that reduce emissions from aluminium and steel, and soil carbon. These are the technologies of the future. These are the technologies we're investing in. These are the technologies that will get us to a cleaner, greener, new energy future. This is the way of the future. Australia believes in a government that can and has delivered. If those opposite were here on this side, Australia's interests would have gone in the wrong direction. Australia knows this government has their back. The opposition doesn't. It's the Morrison government each and every time. (Time expired)

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