Fiona Martin (Reid, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Employment, Workforce, Skills, Small and Family Business. Will the minister please inform the House about how the Morrison government has supported Australians with financial assistance as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and how it continues to support them?

Stuart Robert (Fadden, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment, Workforce, Skills, Small and Family Business) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for her question. The Morrison government has strongly supported Australians throughout the pandemic and through the recovery. We have provided and will continue to provide record assistance to pensioners, families and jobseekers. I think the whole House appreciates the great challenges this has caused across our nation. Luckily, we've been able to use our comprehensive welfare system to provide the emergency support to Australians who have found themselves in very difficult circumstances.

As part of the government's response, we have provided four economic support payments, totalling $2,000 per recipient. Through these payments we have supported 2½ million age pensioners and 750,000 family tax benefit recipients, in addition to much-needed support for those on the disability support pension, carers and, of course, veterans.

All up through the social welfare system, the government has provided a staggering $32 billion in emergency support payments. I note for the member of Reid that 8,377 individuals in your electorate alone have received the coronavirus supplement, let alone the other support payments that have come through. We have also seen the largest increase in unemployment benefits since 1986 at a cost of $9 billion. We will continue to drive the economic recovery from the pandemic and we will continue to see the number of people in receipt of income support from the government decline. It shows that the Morrison government's economic plan is working.

As at last week on 21 May, there were 1.132 million people in receipt of unemployment payments—that is 149,000 fewer than eight weeks ago when JobKeeper came off. It is 515,000 fewer than the peak of 1.65 million we saw in May last year. And of course there are 45,000 more Australians in work now than there was pre COVID, the only industrialised nation on earth that has been able to achieve that. It is 900,000 higher than the trough of the labour market in May last year. We will continue to drive the economic recovery, we will continue to focus on jobs, and we will continue to focus on skills. It is why the budget we saw a combined $2.7 billion to get another 170,000 apprentices into work, and we have extended that to March next year so we pick up all of those school leavers. For the member for Reid—

Ms Ryan interjecting—

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

The member for Lalor will leave understanding order 94(a).

Stuart Robert (Fadden, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment, Workforce, Skills, Small and Family Business) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

that is 1,405 apprentices in the member's electorate right now getting skilled, getting supported, because that member has stumped up for boosting apprenticeship commencements. We will continue to work hard—another billion dollars for the states and territories on JobTrainer, another 40,000 young Australians in transition to work. The Morrison government's economic plan is working and we can— (Time expired)