Julian McGauran (Victoria, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I am, and I am speaking in response to the previous speakers. This is how Senator Cameron has dubbed those on the other side of the chamber. He has seen that this is a government adrift. But I also have to pick up Senator Cameron; he threw out meaningless figures and statistics about the previous government. Let me just put this on the record. When it came to employment, wages growth, productivity and growth of the economy there was no prouder success of the previous government than its achievement in employment and its unemployment rate, which fell to record levels. The unemployment rate dipped well below five per cent; I think it even got to 4.5 per cent—nearing full employment rates. That was a proud achievement.

I served in an opposition when Labor was in government, when unemployment reached one million. There were a million people unemployed under the previous—