Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Trade) Share this | Hansard source

Indeed, a strong level of exports underpins the rest of our economy. It doesn't just help fuel the nearly 1.3 million jobs that have been created under our government. It also helps fuel government revenue, because we've got fewer people receiving welfare and more people in work and paying tax. That allows us to reduce taxes further, as our government has done and is doing. It has reduced taxes for small business, reduced taxes for PAYE salary earners and created a circumstance in which Australians who earn get to keep more of what they earn, where those who work hard get to keep more of those earnings. And of course it allows us, as it has done, to bring the budget back to surplus. Do you know the last time we saw a Labor Party surplus? The last Labor Party surplus was in 1989. Senator Paterson was just two at the time! Senator Steele-John hadn't even been born the last time the Labor Party delivered a budget surplus! Our government, through trade and other policies, has brought us back to— (Time expired)