Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Lines for the question, because it allows the government to set out a record of employment creation that was only dreamed about under the previous, Labor, government. Indeed, the jobs growth we have seen in this first short period of the coalition government, just in recent times, is four times the job creation Labor was able to achieve in its last year of government—namely, 2013. We have seen, since the election of the coalition government, 336,000 jobs created in our country. Has the unemployment rate increased? Yes it has, but like so much of statistics you have to deal with all the facts. Do we have the highest number of Australians in employment ever? Yes we do.

Why and how is it that you can have an increase in employment, have the highest number of Australians in employment and simultaneously experience an increase in unemployment? It is very simple, and the statistics bear it out: there has been a huge surge in job participation, where people now have the confidence to put themselves into the job market and look for a job. We never like an unemployment figure that is anything but zero, and we will work hard to drive it down. That is why we would invite Senator Lines to support our free trade agreements, to support our deregulation agenda and to support the Australian Building and Construction Commission, all of which will help grow jobs. (Time expired)