Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Women) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Duniam for his question. I can advise the Senate that today the jobs figures came out for August 2016. The unemployment rate in Australia declined by 0.1 percentage points over the month to 5.6 per cent in August 2016. This is the lowest rate recorded since September 2013, and it is 0.5 percentage points below the 6.1 per cent recorded a year earlier.

In relation to job creation under the coalition government, since the coalition came to office in 2013 around half a million jobs have been created, with employment now standing at 11,963,700 in August 2016. Under this government employment has continued to grow, rising by 1.5 per cent over the last year. In the last 12 months, the economy and business has created approximately 180,000 jobs, compared to the last 12 months of the former Labor government, in which the economy created approximately 86,000 jobs. The government does not underestimate the critical task of creating more job opportunities for Australians. That is why we are focused on the task at hand, to help give job seekers the dignity of work. On this side of the chamber we believe that the best form of welfare is a job.

In terms of the comparison with those opposite, it is very clear that Labor, implementing the policies that it did, failed Australians and, in particular, failed employers. Under the six years of Labor, the jobless queues grew by around 200,000 people. On this side of the chamber we have a strong plan that is focused on growing our economy and creating jobs. (Time expired)