Michael Sukkar (Deakin, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Treasurer. Will the Treasurer outline how the government is working to create a strong and prosperous economy, and what threats are there to the government's plans for jobs and growth?

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for Deakin for the question. He knows, as we know and as the Australian people know, that in the last month 38,000 jobs were created in Australia—in just one month. In the month of July 38,000 new jobs were created in Australia. Under Labor it averaged 3,600 jobs per month. So more than 10 times the number of jobs have bee created in just one month compared to the average of the Labor Party, the so-called workers party—more like the unemployed party. We now have the fastest rate of jobs growth of the major developed economies. In particular, we have more than the United States, more than the United Kingdom and more than Canada. We have had faster jobs growth than any of the G7, who have been operating off a lower base. From our perspective some of the best numbers that came out of the unemployment numbers was the fact that female workforce participation is now at its highest level since World War II, since 70 years ago. As the Prime Minister said a little earlier, 335,000 new jobs have been created since we came to government. It is not an accident. Ultimately it is business that employs people. Government sets the agenda, government delivers on the agenda, and our economic plan, which is obviously still unfinished, is working. We are getting rid of the handbrake taxes—the carbon tax, the mining tax. And when we came to government there were 96 other announced but unlegislated tax changes and we have gone through those. We are rolling out the biggest infrastructure program in Australia's history. Our micro-economic reform that has been the game changer for the states is the asset recycling program, which has helped to deliver 165 registered cranes just in the Sydney CBD—

Mr Perrett interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Moreton is warned.

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

and we have cranes and bulldozers operating right across the country. I am asked: what is the risk to this prosperity build? What is the risk to the green shoots that are now turning into spring shoots? I will tell you what the risk is, it is the Labor Party—the Labor Party that wants to bring back the carbon tax, the Labor Party that wants to bring back the mining tax, the Labor Party that made a mess of taxation reform and taxing government. And now they are making a mess of it in the Senate and they are making a mess of it in their own policies—as we will find out a bit more over the next few days. The only— (Time expired)