Nigel Scullion (NT, Country Liberal Party, Minister for Indigenous Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the senator for that very important question. This government is focusing on supporting hardworking Australians and hardworking Australian businesses to grow and prosper, because that's how you grow the economy—just a tip, for the willing. Thanks to that, we have created a record 400,000 jobs. We're ensuring that businesses actually have the confidence to make sure that they reinvest. We're reducing the corporate tax rate so businesses can keep more of their own money and invest in the way that they know best. We're also investing in a $75 billion pipeline—nation-building, job-creating infrastructure. We're actually doing the jobs that a lot of successive governments have found a bit hard to do. We're taking on Inland Rail, Western Sydney Airport—and that means 50,000 jobs.

We know that economic growth is not reaching everyone. There are plenty of communities in regional and rural Australia that are still doing it tough. That's why we've committed $222 million to the Regional Jobs and Investment Packages, targeting the regions most in need in regional Australian projects. We've invested in 233 projects, leveraging private sector finance to support $685 million worth of jobs—11,000 jobs. More than 120,000 jobs have been created in regional communities—those communities of need.

But, unfortunately, this is all going to be at risk if those opposite get back into government. Their job-wrecking, reckless agenda of higher taxes and reckless spending is going to devastate this economy and those communities. Shorten's made his captain's call, jacking up taxes on business with a turnover of $10 billion and maybe even those with a $2 million turnover.