Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Paterson for the question. Senator Paterson, you are right, that is the priority of the Morrison government, to support employers out there, to support businesses to prosper, to grow and to create more jobs for Australians. COVID-19 has had an absolutely devastating effect on businesses out there, but, because of the economic policies that the Morrison government put in place, we have seen the economy rebound. What we have seen is businesses utilising the policies that we have put in place to prosper, to grow; and, as we know, based on the employment figures—in particular, the most recent employment figures from May 2021—they are certainly creating more jobs for Australians.

The government doesn't create jobs, businesses do. Governments put in place the economic framework that businesses can utilise to prosper and grow, and, at this point in time, we are ahead of almost every other country in the world. We now have in Australia more people in employment than we did prior to COVID-19. That is a good thing and it is something we are proud of as a government. It is because of the policies that the government is putting in place.

We have delivered record business confidence as a result of our government's economic measures. When you look at those economic measures, the budget's expansion of the full expensing measure has seen the strongest numbers in machinery and equipment investment in 17 years, the strongest numbers in machinery and equipment investment. That's because what we're saying to business is, 'If you have the capacity to invest in yourself, we will back you every step of the way, because we know that, when you invest in yourself, you grow the business and you employ more Australians.'