Warren Entsch (Leichhardt, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. I note that next year our government is handing down a surplus budget, which is the product of a strong economy and the first one since the Howard-Costello years. This means we can keep Australia safe without increasing taxes. Will the Prime Minister outline the consequences of an alternative approach?

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

I thank the member for Leichhardt for his question and the fact that he has noted that indeed this government, our government, the Liberal-National government, will hand down a surplus budget next year, before we go to an election, and the Australian people will be able to see that quite plainly. As the member was putting his question, the Deputy Leader of the Labor Party said, 'You've been in government for five years.' Yes, and we're delivering a surplus. They were in government for six years and they took it from surplus to deficit.

It is true that the budget that will be handed down by the Treasurer will come down as a surplus. That has been achieved by the careful stewardship and financial management over that period of time: getting expenditure under control, getting taxes under control and ensuring we put the policies in place to grow a stronger economy which is seeing a resurgence in core performance around the country. That plan for a strong economy has got unemployment down to five per cent. It has meant 1.1 million more jobs have been created since we were first elected. It has meant economic growth running at 3.4 per cent through the year. I note today the median wage, as of August, is up 5.4 per cent. That is a result of people getting more hours because of a stronger economy, and that is the strongest growth in the median wage in a 12-month period for 13 years. That is welcome. We've also had growth in non-mining investment—again, positive in the quarter—and that means we've had the longest-running growth in non-mining investment growth in 30 years. That's what the stronger economy is delivering.

That stronger economy does enable our government—that stronger economy; not higher taxes—to deliver the essential services that Australians rely on. That is health, that is education, that is infrastructure, it is roads and it's pipelines up in Townsville. It's all of these things, but it's also keeping Australians safe. Our government has put $2.2 billion worth of additional investments into our national security agencies. In the budget that I handed down back in May, there was $294 million for aviation security upgrades around our country, including: $50 million for 64 regional airports; $121.6 million to enhance screening capability for inbound air cargo and international mail; $121.9 million to increase the presence and specialist capabilities of the Australian Federal Police and the Australian Border Force; $102 million to manage biosecurity risks; and $62.2 million for the continuation of Operation Sovereign Borders. Our government is able to live up to our national security credentials—where we lead, never follow—because we're delivering a stronger economy, which means we can invest in keeping Australians safe.