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

I thank my fellow Western Australian senator, Senator Small, and I acknowledge that this is the first question he has asked in this place. I also acknowledge that he very much comes to this place representing the backbone of the Australian economy, because one of the hats he has worn is that of a small-business owner—someone who knows what it's like to have sleepless nights, to employ people and to build up a business. In that respect, he's certainly a welcome skill set in the Senate. Congratulations, Senator Small.

As Australians would be aware, we have performed better than other nations when it comes to the health response to COVID-19, and certainly on the economic front when we look at nearly every other country in the world. What we are now seeing, though, is the beginning of the labour force recovery. Over the last few months we've seen around 648,500 Australians returning to work as lockdowns ease. It is now evident that as you ease those restrictions, ease those lockdowns, more and more businesses are able to open their doors and more and more Australians are able to return to work. Our JobKeeper program has been, of course, instrumental in keeping employees connected to their employment. It is Australia's largest wage subsidy program and it has kept around 3.8 million Australians connected to their employer. It has directly saved, it is estimated, at least 700,000 jobs, building the foundation for our economic recovery.

However, as the Prime Minister says, we know there remains a long road ahead. Certainly, when you look at the employment services case load, it has increased substantially since COVID-19 hit. At the onset of COVID-19, though, the government acted quickly to ensure that our employment services providers were resourced to deal with the influx— (Time expired)