Peta Murphy (Dunkley, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Mark, from Carrum Downs, is 56 years old. He recently lost his job. He says his job provided nearly half of his family's income and that they have exhausted their savings. Mark is cut out of the hiring credit because of his age, and he won't be eligible for mature worker subsidies until next year. Why is the Prime Minister leaving people like Mark behind?

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

I'll ask the Treasurer to add to my answer. Whether it's Mark or anyone else in this country, so many Australians have been hit hard by the COVID-19 recession this year. That is why this government has delivered unprecedented levels of fiscal support into the economy, to ensure that the entire economy can support more jobs coming back as quickly as possible.

Already we have seen almost half of the jobs lost come back into the economy, and we're going to see more because today's confidence figures, which back up yesterday's confidence figures, and last month's, are showing that the Australian comeback has begun. And that's good news for Mark, because as the Australian comeback continues, as businesses continue to grow stronger, as businesses open again and as employees come back into those businesses and come off the JobSeeker payment and go into paid work then Australians will benefit from that.

Some 26 per cent of our economy has been invested, both directly through the federal government and also through the actions of the Reserve Bank, to ensure that our economy has been supported to help people like Mark and anyone else in this country in a way that has never been done in this country before. And next year we look forward with great hope, because not only has there been this significant investment and response from an economic point of view to support our economy and see that the jobs come back but we've invested $18½ billion in the health response that underwrites that economy in a COVID-19 pandemic recession.

The news that we have seen on the vaccination success in these trials is incredibly encouraging. This Friday, the vaccination policy that has been developed by the government will also be noted by the national cabinet and also the actions that would need to be taken by states and territories to see that vaccination able to be disseminated. Australia is in the front row when it comes to the development and delivery of vaccines.

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

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

Those opposite wonder why I refer to this. It's because the vaccine and the health strategy are critical to Australia's economic growth, comeback and success. We're leaving no stone unturned in ensuring the greatest Australian comeback that this country has seen since the Great Depression. This government has stood up at this time and, as we've said throughout the course of questions today, we've particularly stood up for Australians in rural and regional areas.

We haven't turned our backs on rural and regional Australia in the way that the Labor Party have, shunting regional members out of their shadow cabinet for simply daring to speak up for regional Australia—

Honourable members interjecting—

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

No, the Prime Minister will resume his seat. The member for Higgins.