David Bushby (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Small and Family Business, the Workplace and Deregulation, Senator Cash. Can the minister outline the recent ABS jobs figures released for the 2017 calendar year? How does this performance compare to previous years?

Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Jobs and Innovation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Bushby for the question. I'm delighted to advise that 2017, under this government, was a record year for job creation, with 403,100 jobs created in the calendar year of 2017. That's what the Australian people want to see. Of those 403,100 jobs, in excess of 300,000 of them were full-time jobs. That's right—full-time jobs. This is actually the biggest increase in the number of jobs since records began in 1978. This is a fantastic result for all Australians.

The interesting comparison is this: let's compare the result to the last 12 months of the former Labor government. Colleagues, under Labor, in their last 12 months, jobs growth was less than 89,000. Compare 403,000 to 89,000. Colleagues, it gets even more stark when you look at the number of full-time jobs in the last 12 months of the former Labor government. It went backwards. That's right—it went backwards by more than 18,000 jobs.

What we on this side of the chamber understand is that you've got to get the economic fundamentals right to ensure job creation. That is exactly what the Turnbull government is doing. That is why, under our government, total employment is at an all-time high, with 12.4 million Australians employed. The level of employment has increased for 15 successive months. This is another record high. We're delivering on our commitment to jobs and growth.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Bushby, a supplementary question?

David Bushby (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Can the minister advise how the Turnbull government is getting people into work?

Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Jobs and Innovation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As I was saying, the 2017 year is the first year on record in which the number of jobs has increased every single month. Our policies are working. The economy is creating jobs. But you also need to deliver policies that will actively get Australians who are on welfare off welfare and into work, and that is also what this government does. For example, our massive investment in getting our youth off welfare and into work via our Youth Jobs PaTH program is giving our youth the ability to improve their job readiness, their work experience and move away from a lifetime of welfare. The ParentsNext program actively works with parents who are in need. More than 96 per cent of them are women. It helps them move off welfare and into work when their children start school. And we're also assisting youth with the Transition to Work program. We are keeping Australians working.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Bushby, a final supplementary question.

David Bushby (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is the minister aware of any public commentary about these figures?

Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Jobs and Innovation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am. Colleagues, you'll be pleased to know that even the Leader of the Opposition, Bill Shorten, faced with these figures, admitted at the National Press Club recently that he too was pleased with the jobs growth under the Turnbull government. This is what he said:

We're pleased with it. There are jobs growing, we're pleased with that … it's excellent.

And colleagues, I agree—it is excellent. The creation of in excess of 400,000 jobs is due to the policies that the Turnbull government is putting in place.

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order on my left!

Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Jobs and Innovation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

But it's one thing to say, 'It's great to have jobs growth.' What the Leader of the Opposition now needs to do is support the policies that are enabling the economy to do just that. Where is he, colleagues, on our enterprise tax plan? Our enterprise tax plan will benefit around 3.2 million small and medium businesses, the backbone of our economy. The Trans-Pacific Partnership, which is all about creating jobs—where does Bill Shorten stand on it? (Time expired)