Andrew Nikolic (Bass, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is also to the Treasurer. Will the Treasurer advise the House how a more agile and innovative economy can support Australia's commercial arrangements with growing economies in our region? Treasurer, how does national competition reform further strengthen our economy?

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Bass for his question, because he knows—as the Prime Minister has already said—that this is an exciting time to be an Australian because of the opportunities that we have before us. We know as a country that there are uncertainties and volatilities out there, but we have a confidence. The Australian people and Australian business are expressing that confidence, as the Prime Minister has said, in the opportunities that are before us. Australians are backing themselves—as the government is backing Australians—to be able to make the transitions that are necessary for us to get from where we are today to the prosperity that is in front of us.

But there are other things we have to do. We need to ensure that we have strong fundamentals in our economy that are directing us towards flexibility and agility. That, of course, means we need a tax system that can support Australians to do the things that they want to do in the economy. Equally, we need a competition policy that can help us to grow and prosper—and not just that, but a competition policy that is going to give Australians, right across the board, from infants all the way through to those who are aged, the sorts of choices that they want to have on offer here in our economy.

That is why on Friday of this week the Harper review will be on the agenda for the state treasurers' meeting—because the states and territories also want to engage in this process of growing our economy. Those opposite do not want to engage. They do not want to engage with the task of budget repair; they do not want to engage with the task of economic reform. They simply want to try and scare Australians out of prosperity. What we want to do is to get the focus on the Harper review on the big-ticket reforms that can be achieved at a state and territory level as well as at a Commonwealth level. The most exciting of those are in the area of health and social services. We know already that this is a $100 billion sector in the Australian economy; it employs more than 1.4 million Australians—that is up 500,000 in the last 10 years alone—and the opportunities for growth in health and social services in this country and through the free trade agreements that have been achieved by the Minister for Trade will ensure that this will be a growth engine for our economy.

We on this side of the House want to ensure that these opportunities are explored in concert with the states. The states want to see their economies grow. The Commonwealth government wants to see the national economy grow. But that means we need to work together to work through the reforms—whether it is in health and social services, which will give Australians more choice for the services that they want to see and that they want to support, or whether it is in the area of land use, planning and zoning and those sorts of issues, which the Minister for Cities knows all about. He knows that if you can unlock the productivity of cities you can grow your economy at a much greater rate. At the end of the day we want to see this economy grow because that is the way—

Mr Champion interjecting—

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

The member for Wakefield will cease interjecting.

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

you bring the budget back into balance, and that is the way you secure the jobs of the future.