Jenny Macklin (Jagajaga, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Families and Payments) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer to the answer of the Minister for Social Services just a minute ago, proving that the minister fabricated details about New Zealand's welfare system to justify his cruel cuts to young jobseekers. Now that the only argument for this policy has been exposed as a sham, will the Prime Minister drop this cruel cut for good?

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I have to say there is a lot of rhetoric and argument in that question but, nonetheless, I will let it stand.

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This is a government which wants young people to be learning or earning. It is very simple. We want young people to be learning or earning. In order to help them to learn or earn we are introducing trade support loans. For the first time we are trying to ensure that apprentices can have support on the same basis that university students have long had support. You can encourage people to be on welfare or you can encourage people to be self-reliant. I regret to say that the Labor Party seems to prefer people on welfare—

Ms Butler interjecting—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Griffith will desist or leave. The choice is hers.

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

than people who are preparing to be contributors to our community. That is what I want. I want to maximise people's contribution to our community. I want young people to have the best possible start in life. The best way to have a good start in life is to leave school and be learning or earning, not being on welfare.