Jim Chalmers (Rankin, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Treasurer. Were jobs lost in every single state and territory in the first full fortnight after he cut JobKeeper?

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

I can confirm that 446,000 jobs have been created over the last four months and that the unemployment rate today is 6.9 per cent. And what we have done is: we have put in place $507 billion of economic support—

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

The Treasurer will resume his seat. The Manager of Opposition Business on a point of order?

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for the Arts) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

A point of order, Mr Speaker, on direct relevance: it is hard to think of a more specific question, and, while I appreciate rulings that they don't have to give a yes or no—

Government members interjecting—

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

Members on my right! The Manager of Opposition Business has the call.

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for the Arts) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I appreciate that a question can't demand a yes or no, but to simply riff off anything relating to jobs is a long way from the specific way this question was asked.

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

Yes. I say to the Manager of Opposition Business, he makes a reasonable point. I was allowing the Treasurer a preamble, but this is a very, very specific question, and the Manager of Opposition Business is right—it might invite a yes or no, but it can't demand a yes or no answer. The Treasurer needs to be directly relevant to the question—that's in the standing orders—or wind up his answer.

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

I can confirm that the unemployment ticked up to 6.9 per cent and that it is expected, by Treasury and, indeed, the Reserve Bank, to actually increase between now and the end of the year, up to around eight per cent, but, by mid next year, to be 7¼ per cent.

The member for Rankin did refer to JobKeeper, and what was implicit, and actually explicit, in his question was the tapering of JobKeeper, and I need to remind the House, in that context, that the tapering of JobKeeper has been supported and advocated by the Leader of the Opposition and by the honourable member for Rankin. And I repeat: on ABC's The Business, he was asked how long the tapering should be, and he said: 'They should be looking at a kind of tapering.' And I refer to the Leader of the Opposition, who, when he was asked: 'Would you extend JobKeeper and extend—

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

I'll just say to the Treasurer: the Treasurer is now moving way beyond what was a very specific question.

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

Well, Mr Speaker, the question was put about the tapering of JobKeeper and the impact on jobs, and the message to those opposite is that we have seen the creation of jobs but we've also seen a tapering in JobKeeper, which is something that those opposite have advocated for.