Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business) Share this | Hansard source

It's because the resources industry in Australia makes such a great contribution to the Australian economy. We as Australians rely on a strong and growing mining industry that is highly reliant on a skilled, mobile and diverse workforce. In terms of the statistics, the resources sector accounted for eight per cent of Australia's GDP and 59 per cent of Australia's export earnings in 2018-19. That is something that the coalition government respects. The sector employed nearly 245,000 Australians at the end of 2018-19. That's around two per cent of Australia's total workforce. Also, though, as a sector, it is one of the fastest growing employers in the Australian economy, with employment rising from 94,000 just 15 years ago. That's why we— (Time expired)