Richard Marles (Corio, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Treasurer. Why did the Treasurer say yesterday that Australians were certainly better off than in 2013, when the data shows that, since 2013, wages have been stagnant, household debt has risen, growth has slowed and median household income has declined in real terms?

Josh Frydenberg (Kooyong, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Australians are better off than they were in 2013 because we've created 1.4 million new jobs. 'Thank you for that dixer' I say to the member for Corio. When we came to government, unemployment was 5.7 per cent. Today, it is 5.2 per cent. When we came to government, the gender pay gap was 17.2 per cent. Today, it is 14.2 per cent and a record low. When we came to government, employment growth was around 0.7 per cent per year. Today, it's 2.4 per cent. The other reason why Australians are better off today is that tax cuts have passed this parliament. Thirteen million Australians are getting tax cuts because of what we have done on this side of the House. Because unlike 'Sir Tax A Lot' over there—and I knight him today 'Sir Tax A Lot'—we are not promising $387 billion of higher taxes. We are not telling the people of Corio and the people of Grayndler and the people of Rankin and the people of McMahon that we're going to put a retirees' tax on them, but they are. We're not telling them there's going to be an increased tax on superannuation, but they are. And we're not telling them that we are going to burden family businesses and income earners with higher taxes because, on this side of the House, we want Australians to earn more and to keep more of what they earn.