Angie Bell (Moncrieff, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Will the Prime Minister please inform the House how the Morrison government is working to secure Australia's economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in our energy and resources sector? Is the Prime Minister aware of any alternative approaches?

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

[by video link] I thank the member for Moncrieff for her question. Australia has been one of the standout nations in the world in terms of how we've protected not only the lives of Australians but also their livelihoods. We are one of just two countries that recently attended the G7-plus, together with South Korea, that could say our economy was bigger after going through this pandemic than it was before. In Australia there are more people employed today at this point than there were before the pandemic started. And this has been recognised by Australians. The Lowy poll today shows that 79 per cent of Australians are now optimistic or very optimistic about Australia's economic performance. That has been as a result of the government working to get the balance right to not only ensure we were managing the health impacts of the pandemic but also ensure we had a growing economy.

We can't take that for granted. That's why this year's budget was our plan to ensure we secured Australia's economic recovery. There are many elements to that plan—lower taxes, infrastructure spending, investment in skills and our manufacturing sectors. But, importantly, it is also about cutting red tape so businesses can get on and invest, particularly in major projects, and ensuring that we have affordable, reliable, lower-emissions energy to power particularly our heavy industries in the new energy economy of the future.

It is incredibly disappointing that the Labor Party, in the parliament, is opposing our efforts to make it easier for major investments in resource projects, particularly in states like Western Australia, by opposing our changes to the EPBC Act. Even the Labor Premier of Western Australia and all Labor premiers in this country are calling on the Labor opposition to support this bill to ensure we can improve investment. But they stand there stubbornly on the basis of ideology. But it doesn't end there. Their opposition last night in voting against lower-emissions technologies like carbon capture and storage goes completely against the efforts this country is making to ensure that we move towards lower-emissions technologies in the future. The member for Hunter has described the Labor Party's position as 'ideological madness'. That is exactly what it is.

This is a Labor Party obsessed with carping negativity, opposing the government's efforts to keep our economy strong through the pandemic. What we have been able to achieve as a country has not been with the support of the opposition. Their approach has just been negativity and ideology. That is not going to get us to a lower-emissions future. It's not going to get resource projects approved in our states and territories and at a Commonwealth level. The Labor Party needs to saddle up with the economic improvements we're seeking to put in place to bring Australia out of the COVID-19 pandemic strongly. Instead, what we are getting is negativity and opposition.

Mr Stephen Jones interjecting—

Mr Dreyfus interjecting—

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

The member for Whitlam and the member for Isaacs! I think you know what's going to happen if you keep interjecting. Can I also point out it's particularly pointless to interject at a television screen!

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

Or Sky before dark!

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

Maybe they do it at home, but there's no need to do it here.

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

They do—and I do too!