Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Finance, representing the Treasurer. Senator Canavan will be pleased to note that my question, like those of Senator O'Sullivan and Senator Hanson, is about jobs. Can the minister update us on the impact of the coalition's plans for jobs and growth, particularly in my home state of Queensland, where unemployment and job creation is a real issue at the moment.

Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Macdonald for that question. Yes, I can, but let me say first up that the Liberal-National Party here in this parliament and in Queensland stands for policies which support business, support investment and support jobs, whereas the Labor Party is demonstrably anti business, anti investment and anti jobs. The policies that we've pursued in recent years have helped create more jobs and attract more investment in Queensland: our business tax cuts for more than 540,000 Queensland businesses so far, our free trade agreements which are helping Queensland exporting businesses sell more Queensland products and services into key markets in our part of the world, and our ambitious infrastructure investment program, which is delivering results for Queensland—12,600 new jobs were created in Queensland in October and 131,000 over the past year.

But we know this is not good enough. We could do so much better if only we were working with a pro-business, pro-jobs, pro-investment government in Queensland. There are areas that could do with more investments, more projects and more jobs, in particular the Fitzroy and areas around Townsville and Rockhampton. That is why this government supports the Adani project. That is why the Liberal National Party in Queensland supports the Adani project unequivocally. But the Labor Party in Queensland, in the face of the Greens, is just another case of wibble wobble, wibble wobble, jelly on a plate: 'We're for it, we're against it, we're for it, we're against it.' That is the Queensland Labor Party. We need people standing up for jobs. We need Tim Nicholls and the Liberal-National Party standing up for jobs in Queensland. We need the Adani project to get up. We need the Labor Party in Queensland to get out of the way.

Scott Ryan (President, Special Minister of State) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Macdonald, a supplementary question.

Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I really would like to ask the minister more about the wibble wobble, but instead could he explain how the federal coalition's economic policies are supporting the creation of more jobs and stronger economic growth around Australia but particularly in my home state of Queensland?

Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Macdonald for that supplementary. The fundamental understanding that we on this side of the chamber, the Liberal-National Party, have here in this parliament and in Queensland is if we support businesses so they can be more successful and more profitable, they can hire more Australians and pay them better wages over time. In fact, that is the only way that businesses can employ more Australians and pay them better wages. Labor's higher taxes for business, Labor's anti-trade, higher electricity prices approach, will make it harder for businesses to be successful, which means less investment, less growth, fewer jobs and lower wages. In Queensland our free trade agreements, for example, are delivering real outcomes. In manufacturing, for example, Superior Jetties on the Gold Coast are selling additional products into China, installing high quality pontoon products for vessel-berthing needs all over Australia and in different parts of the world, because the tariffs for their products are going down from seven to 18 per cent to nothing. (Time expired)

Scott Ryan (President, Special Minister of State) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Macdonald, a final supplementary question.

Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the minister for the advice about the federal coalition's plans for jobs and growth in Queensland. I ask the minister: what would be the economic consequences if those plans for jobs and growth were not being implemented?

Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

If we are not able to implement our plan for jobs and growth, it means lower growth, less investment, fewer jobs and lower wages. That will be the consequence of a Labor government in Canberra and it will be the consequence of a Labor government continuing in Queensland. Higher taxes, higher electricity prices, more red tape, less trade and opposing a great project like the Adani project: all of these make it harder for businesses to be successful; all of these lead to fewer jobs and fewer opportunities for people across Australia to get ahead. The Adani project is quite tangible. There will be 16,000 jobs in the Galilee Basin lost if the Adani project doesn't get ahead. There are 10,000 direct and indirect full-time jobs as a result of the Adani project itself and 1,100 jobs in Townsville, which Senator Macdonald will be very conscious of. Townsville is a hub for the Adani project alongside Rockhampton as another hub. (Time expired)