Gladys Liu (Chisholm, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Will the Prime Minister please outline to the House how the Morrison government's plan to secure Australia's recovery from COVID-19 pandemic is backing Australian jobs across our economy, from our suburbs to our regions?

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

I thank the member for Chisholm for her question. She, like so many on this side of the House, welcomed the fact that, since we hit the pit of the recession caused by COVID-19, 900,000 jobs have come back into the Australian economy. She welcomes the fact that Australians are getting back into jobs.

I thank her for the role that she has played working with her local community, with her local small businesses, encouraging them to ensure they were able to be in a position to take so many Australians back into work. And she will be particularly pleased that not only more than 500,000 women have found their way back into jobs—of those more than 900,000 job—but more than 300,000 young people have also returned to employment as we have come through the worst times of the COVID-19 recession.

Australians getting back into jobs: that is what Australians have been looking to this government for, to ensure that we are backing those Australians in. Whether in the suburbs of our major cities or in our regional towns and centres all around the country, we are providing the support to ensure that Australians can take the decisions that enabled them with their family and their businesses to get through the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic. They know there are still many challenges ahead but they know these things will help as they take the decisions that get them through this pandemic. They know the best way to fuel aspiration and to get ahead in this country is to lower taxes, to ensure that Australians can keep more of what they earn, that businesses can keep more of what they have earned, particularly through measures such as the instant asset write-off, which planted innovation in the member's electorate and has been used to invest in more equipment and to put more people into work. Those lower taxes are driving the investment, they are driving the jobs and, for individuals, it is a major change.

I refer those opposite to the budget documents: Securing Australia's recovery: Creating jobs and rebuilding our economy. You find it isn't just recently that the government has been delivering tax relief. If you have been on $40,000 between 2018-19 and 2021 you have payed $3,080 less in taxes. That is a 15 per cent cut in your taxes delivered by this government. It goes on because they are just not getting into jobs; they are getting into first homes. We have seen Australians getting into their first home at the best levels in about 11 years. This government is backing the aspiration and actions of Australians to see them, their families, their businesses and their communities through the pandemic and we are doing it by keeping taxes low and by backing their investments. (Time expired)