David Fawcett (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Jobs and Innovation, Senator Cash. Can the minister update the Senate about today's figures from the ABS in relation to Australian jobs?

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

I'm absolutely delighted to update the Senate in relation to the labour force figures that came out today. The Turnbull government's economic policies are overseeing an extraordinary result for Australian jobs. The jobs figures released today have seen a number of records created. Today we saw the 17th consecutive month of job creation in Australia, with 17½ thousand jobs created. That's the 17th month in a row when the number of jobs in our economy has increased. This is a record high. We also have another record high, though, and that is, of course, total employment. Total employment in Australia has now risen to a record high of 12,480,500. That is an absolutely outstanding result for Australians.

In the last 12 months, as Senator Cormann stated, we've seen in excess of 420,000 jobs created. Three-quarters of those jobs—327,500—were full-time jobs. The economy is out there and business are out there and employers are out there not only creating jobs, but three-quarters of those jobs were full-time jobs. That is actually the highest number of full-time jobs created in a 12-month period since we began collecting the data 40 years ago. And, contrary to the negativity of Labor and the union movement, full-time employment is now also at a record high in Australia, with more than 8.53 million jobs.

But we acknowledge that this doesn't happen by accident. You've got to put in place the right economic policies. You've got to get the right economic fundamentals so that the economy responds positively, as it is doing. (Time expired)

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

Senator Fawcett, a supplementary question.

David Fawcett (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister, in light of the 420,000 new jobs in the last 12 months of this government, could you compare it with the performance of the last 12 months of the previous Labor government?

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

I can. As you said, in the last 12 months to February 2018 we have seen the economy create 420,700 jobs. In the last 12 months of the former Rudd-Gillard-Rudd government, guess how many jobs the economy created? It was 88,900. Compare 420,700 with 88,900. In the last 12 months we've seen an average of 35,100 jobs created per month under this government—more than 1,100 jobs per day. In the last 12 months of the former Labor government the average was only 7,400 per month, or around 240 a day. The statistics could not be clearer. When you have a government that understands that you need to get the economic fundamentals right, it will result in job creation.

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

Senator Fawcett, a final supplementary question.

David Fawcett (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Given the success of the policies in creating these jobs, is the minister aware of any threats to the Turnbull government's record and its policies on jobs growth?

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

Whilst the Turnbull government work on policies that are going to ensure that we're able to create jobs, let's face it: those opposite are out there creating taxes for pensioners. And we saw what occurred yesterday at the Press Club with Sally McManus: the ACTU—widely slammed in the press today, admittedly—calling for a class struggle which pits Australians against one another. Sally McManus of course is one of Mr Shorten's key backers. But yesterday she told the National Press Club:

This is not the country we want. This is not who we are.

But on top of that she spent most of her speech stating that she wants to change the workplace laws because they are broken. She actually bemoaned the workplace laws that were created by the former Labor government—ironically, when the current Leader of the Opposition was the employment minister. On this side of the chamber we understand: get the economic fundamentals right and the economy responds. (Time expired)