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

My question is to the Treasurer. I refer to reports that the Treasurer has told the government to be prepared for a rough couple of months because of the decision to rip away JobKeeper. Why is the government treating the people on JobKeeper who are about to lose their jobs as a political problem rather than a human one?

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

Spare me the feigned indignation from the member of Rankin. The reality is that the JobKeeper payment was always meant to be a temporary one. Initially, it was planned for six months, and we extended it to 12 months. At $90 billion, it's the single largest economic support program any Australian government has ever undertaken. The reality is that there have been 2.7 million Australians who have graduated from JobKeeper, including more than 20,200 from the member's electorate.

But, as JobKeeper ends, the Morrison government's support does not. The Morrison government's support continues with initiatives like the recent aviation and tourism package, designed to provide low-cost airfares and low-cost loans; like the HomeBuilder program; like the hiring credit; like the infrastructure programs that were brought forward; like the immediate expensing that has led to a boost in investment; like the apprenticeship announcement, which saw, within five months, 100,000 new apprentices; and like the tax cuts, because we on this side of the House believe that Australians should earn more and keep more of what they earn.

The member for Rankin doesn't know much about tax cuts. He only knows about tax increases. The reality is that we continue to provide economic support across the Australian community, and what we have seen is the labour market being remarkably resilient.

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

I just say to the member for Lalor: she has continued to interject.