Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research) Share this | Hansard source

There are many signs of recovery. One is that 2009 ended strongly for the automotive sector, with record numbers of vehicles sold in December. Vehicle sales in January and February, including sales of Australian-made vehicles, were well up on the same month last year. Our economy grew 0.9 per cent in the final quarter of 2009 to be 2.7 per cent higher throughout the year—an outcome that even those opposite would surely envy and which is certainly the envy of the developed world.

Business confidence is rising. One measure of this is the overwhelming industry response. For instance, the North West and Northern Tasmania Innovation Investment Fund received some 126 applications from firms eager to invest in that critical region. The successful applicants will be announced soon. So all of these indicators point to one conclusion: the government’s stimulus package is working. (Time expired)