Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Bishop for his question. This Labor government is very proud that in its period in office, since 2007, it has added almost three-quarters of a million jobs to the economy. This reflects the government's very strong commitment to the creation of jobs and having that as central to our economic strategies. Senators would be aware that, in the short term, the outlook for the global economy is increasingly uncertain. Millions of people in Europe and in the United States remain unemployed and the problems in the European financial markets are having ripple effects across the world. Australia is obviously not immune from those effects, nor are we immune from the effects of natural disasters in Australia. People would be aware that the damage to the Queensland economy as a result of the floods and Cyclone Yasi has been measured in the billions of dollars. It is the case, though, that Queenslanders are getting back on their feet.

Indeed, the Australian economy has displayed remarkable strength and resilience. Last week's national accounts figures reveal that the economy grew by 1.2 per cent in the June quarter, a significant rebound after a summer of disasters. That growth was broad based. Australian families are benefiting as a result of one of the highest participation rates in the nation's history, showing that there are more people in work. Australia has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the developed world and, whilst there was a slight uptick this month, compared with like countries such as the United States, which has a nine per cent unemployment rate, our employment market remains strong. Employment grew over the year by 1.2 per cent and the outlook for jobs is still very strong, but the patchwork nature of the economy is proving a challenge and we are seeing structural adjustment impacting on jobs in the economy. (Time expired)