Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Finance and Deregulation) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr President. That in fact is what I was going on to say: that I am happy to take those aspects of the question which are properly directed to the Treasurer's portfolio. However, I would have thought that the extent of the carbon price being paid by particular coalmines is clearly a matter within the climate change portfolio. In fact, I answered maybe 100 or 200 of those questions previously.

But in relation to the issue of jobs and job losses I would make this point: we have an unemployment rate of 5.1 per cent. I have recently returned from a trip overseas, including to the APEC finance ministers meeting, and let me tell you that there is no other advanced economy that can look at an unemployment rate like the one Australia has. No other advanced economy has grown 11 per cent since prior to the global financial crisis. So those opposite might like to come in here and talk gloom and doom when it comes to jobs and investment, and talk down the economy because they think it is in their political interest. We will get on with the job of creating jobs.