Clare O'Neil (Hotham, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Innovation, Technology and the Future of Work) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

[by video link] My question is to the Treasurer. Is the Treasurer aware that, when asked about the government's announcement that its technology roadmap would deliver 130,000 jobs, Treasury yesterday said, 'That's not a figure that was used in the budget; that was the figure in the minister's press release'? Is this another case of spin over substance?

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

The technology roadmap, like all the other programs, were part of the government's economic forecasts for where jobs growth would be. Jobs growth, according to our budget numbers, is for 950,000 jobs to be created in the next few years. I don't know what those opposite have got against creating jobs, but we, on this side of the House, are in favour of creating jobs. There were 446,000 new jobs created over the last four months alone, of which 60 per cent have gone to women and 40 per cent have gone to young people.

Tragically, we have seen jobs being lost in my home state of Victoria, whereas in other states we have seen jobs growth. Whether it's a technology roadmap; whether it's the JobMaker hiring credit; whether it's our investments in infrastructure, either bringing projects forward or investing in new projects; whether it's research and development or whether it's skills and training, we, on this side of the House, are in favour of more jobs.