Mitch Fifield (Victoria, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Social Services) Share this | Hansard source

What this government is seeking to do tonight in the budget could not be further from the assertion of Senator Siewert. We want to see jobs created so that people on Newstart and people on the DSP can move into the workforce. We want to see jobs created so that older Australians who want to continue in the workforce can do so.

The other thing we want to do in the budget tonight is to make sure that we live within our means so that governments—not just this government but future governments—have the capacity to provide the social safety net that all of us want to see in place and see continue in place. We want to walk and chew gum at the same time. We want to have a growing economy that can employ more people, but we also want to have the capacity to provide a social safety net. That is one of the important things about Australia: we have the commitment to help people who face extra challenges for reasons beyond their control. We are committed to those people. We want to support them in times of need and we want to help them into work.