Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. In last year's budget the government announced that its signature JobMaker program would support 450,000 jobs. But the program only supported 1,000 jobs. When the government failed to deliver its signature announcement from the last budget, how can Australians believe anything that it announces tonight?

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

I genuinely thank the member for his question. I quote his shadow Treasurer, who said this after the last budget:

The test for this budget is what it means for unemployment. If unemployment is too high for too long, then this budget and this Government would have failed its central task.

He said:

You judge a budget by jobs and opportunities and what it says about the—

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

The Prime Minister needs to—

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

I'm coming to it, Mr Speaker.

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

You need to come to it now.

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

I was asked why the government should be believed when it comes to what we put at tonight's budget. I was asked that question by the Leader of the Opposition. That's what I was asked. They said, after the last budget, that the test—

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

The Prime Minister will resume his seat. The Leader of the Opposition, on a point of order?

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I understand the Prime Minister's embarrassment about the JobMaker program; I get that.

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

The Leader of the Opposition needs to come to his point of order. State what it is.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It was a very specific question about the JobMaker program. The Prime Minister needs to talk about the JobMaker program. It shouldn't take too long.

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

I will just say to the Leader of the Opposition that I did ask the Prime Minister to relate his answer to the material, but it was a very specific question followed by a very open-ended question about how anything could be believed in tonight's budget. I think that does open it up somewhat. If it didn't have that in it, it would require a much tighter answer. I'm listening to the Prime Minister.

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

The opposition put the test of our budget last time as what it meant for unemployment. I note that, at the time we brought down our first pandemic budget, unemployment was at seven per cent. Today, it is at 5.6 per cent. By the Labor Party's own standard, the economic recovery plan that we put in place in our first pandemic budget has met their test and has exceeded it. But this is not the first time. It was the Leader of the Opposition who said back in July of last year, '400,000 more will join the unemployment queues by Christmas,' but indeed 300,000 jobs were created during the same period. He said the Morrison government had no plan for jobs and no plan for recovery in June of last year, but yet another 500,000 jobs were created after that.

During the course of this pandemic this government has acted in concert with Australians and with other state and territory governments to do one important thing, and that is to put Australians back in work. Today there are 13.1 million Australians who are in jobs. Before the pandemic, there were 13 million. The Cassandras and the Chicken Littles over there have on numerous occasions said that people were literally going to go off cliffs. That is a direct quote from the Leader of the Opposition. But the alternative—

Mr Albanese interjecting—

He asks. He said on 19 June:

The truth is, today is exactly 100 days until JobKeeper stops and people literally will fall off a cliff.

That's his exact quote. That's the hubris and exaggeration of the Leader of the Opposition. If there's a person who cannot be believed in this place it is the Leader of the Opposition, whose economic credibility is in complete and utter tatters. (Time expired)