Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Bushby for his question. I am very pleased to report to the Senate that more Australians are now in work than ever before, over 1.1 million jobs having been created since the government came to office in 2013. What the latest jobs figures released today by the ABS underscore is the strength and resilience of the Australian labour market. Seasonally adjusted employment surged by 44,000 in August 2018, exceeding market expectations, to stand at a record high. Importantly, full-time employment also increased strongly, by 33,700, over the month to stand at a record high of more than 8.6 million and is now an impressive 202,100, or 2.4 per cent, higher than it was a year ago. Encouragingly, female full-time employment rose by 12,500 in August and has increased by 78,600, or 2½ per cent, over the last year. As the Minister for Jobs and Industrial Relations, Minister O'Dwyer, said earlier today, the government has put in place the right policy settings, which continue to pay dividends. We welcome these strong full-time jobs figures which reflect the fact that the government's strong economic policy stance is working. There is always more work to do, but, most importantly, the government is delivering for Australians, Australian business is delivering jobs for Australians and the government's economic direction is the right direction.