John McVeigh (Groom, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Human Services and Digital Transformation. Can the minister update the House on the government's efforts to encourage people to transition from welfare and into jobs? Is the minister aware of any other approaches to guaranteeing essential services?

Michael Keenan (Stirling, Liberal Party, Minister for Human Services and Digital Transformation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Groom for that question. He knows, like we all do on this side of the House, that we are committed to creating a stronger economy, and that is the best way that we can guarantee the essential services that we provide for the Australian people while still being able to bring the budget back into balance.

Those on this side of the House understand that Australians should keep more of what they earn and that the best possible form of welfare is a job. That's why we've had a laser-like focus on job creation, creating over one million jobs since we came to office in 2013. That is over 1,000 jobs per day under this government. Of course the result of the fact that we've created over one million jobs is that we've taken 140,000 people off welfare. That saves the Australian taxpayer, over the lifetime of those welfare costs, upwards of $20 billion. This allows us to get on with the job of guaranteeing essential services for all Australians while we are doing everything we can to live within our means and bring that budget back to balance.

Unlike those opposite, we believe in the Australian people. We have a plan for growth. I contrast that record that I've been talking about, those million jobs that have been created, those 1,000 jobs a day that have been created, with the record of the Labor Party when they were in office between 2007 and 2013. Under Labor, the number of jobseekers, the number of people on the unemployment queue, rose from 420,000 to 700,000. At the same time, another 100,000 people went onto the disability support pension. We are committed to making sure that the Australian people have access to job opportunities, that they come off the welfare system and that the welfare system runs with integrity and people only get what they are entitled to. Without this integrity our welfare system is unsustainable. Those costs will balloon, and that will leave future generations of Australians to pick up the bill.

This government remains committed to living within its means and managing its spending. Since 1 July 2016, we've achieved savings of $1.7 billion through running the welfare system with integrity by cracking down on fraud and compliance. This $1.7 billion is money we can now invest in hospitals, schools, job creation, aged care and making improvements in the way Australians interact with their government. When Labor were in office, the number of compliance checks was reduced and the value of debt raised dropped by almost half. We on this side of the House believe in running the economy to make sure that Australians have access to work, and we will continue to implement policies that give every Australian the opportunity to access a job.

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

I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper.