Delivering for Australia

FIXING THE BUDGET

This year, for the first time since 2008, the Government is delivering a Budget surplus. 

We have halved the average growth in spending – from 4% per year under Labor, to 1.9% under the Liberal and Nationals Government (the most restrained of any Government in more than fifty years).

MORE JOBS

The promise made in 2013 for one million new jobs to be created within five years was delivered ahead of schedule. More than 1.2 million more Australians are in jobs since September 2013.

Nearly 60% of these have been full time jobs.

412,000 more jobs were created in 2017 alone – the most jobs created in a calendar year on record.

The unemployment rate has declined to 4.9%. When Labor left office it was 5.7%.

Women’s workforce participation is at record highs. Since September 2013, over 730,000 more women have found jobs (57% of the total jobs created in this time).

MORE JOBS FOR YOUNG AUSTRALIANS

Recent ABS figures show 102,800 jobs for 15-24 year-olds being added in the year to June 2018 – the strongest result over a financial year ever recorded.

LESS WELFARE DEPENDENCY

More Australians are finding jobs. The percentage of working age Australians on welfare has fallen to 14.3% – the lowest rate of welfare dependency in 30 years.

In 2017-18, there were 90,000 fewer working age Australians on welfare.

INCOME TAX RELIEF

We’re making income taxes lower, fairer and simpler.

In 2018-19, around 4.5 million Australians will get tax relief of $1,080 per year and over 10 million taxpayers will get some tax relief.

The tax relief plan we have legislated will remove an entire tax bracket. By the time our plan is fully implemented, 94% of taxpayers will pay no more than 30 cents in the dollar.

SMALL BUSINESS TAX RELIEF

Tax relief has been delivered for 3.4 million businesses employing over 7 million Australians.

The tax rate for businesses with a turnover less than $50 million has already been reduced from 30% to 27.5% and we are further reducing this to 25%.

For unincorporated businesses with a turnover less than $5 million, we have introduced a tax discount of 8% (capped at $1,000), and have legislated a further increase to 16%.

We recently fast tracked this tax relief so the full benefit is delivered by 2021-22 – five years earlier than planned.

INSTANT ASSET WRITE OFF

Small and medium sized businesses are being encouraged to invest in new equipment and machinery worth up to $30,000, with an instant asset write off for businesses with an annual turnover up to $50 million. 

More than 350,000 businesses have already taken advantage of the instant asset write off.

LESS RED TAPE

Compliance costs have been reduced for businesses, individuals and community groups by $5.9 billion since 2013 – including simplified Business Activity Statements, a Small Business Superannuation Clearing House and thousands of other decisions that are making life easier.

MORE AFFORDABLE ENERGY

While electricity prices doubled under Labor, we have begun to turn the corner on power prices, with reductions announced in QLD, NSW and SA from 1 July 2018.

A number of new measures – a price safety net to protect customers, a big stick to stop energy company ripping off customers, and a technology neutral program to underwrite new reliable generation – will reduce power prices.

INVESTING IN RENEWABLES

In 2017, Australian investment in renewables increased by 150%. We are investing Tasmania’s Battery of the Nation and a new interconnector, to unlock Tasmania’s hydro capacity and power millions of homes on the mainland.

We’re building Snowy Hydro 2.0 which will increase storage capacity by 50% – enough to power to 500,000 homes.

RECORD INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT

A record $100 billion will be invested over the decade in highway upgrades, congestion busting roads, rail projects, inland rail, improved local roads, commuter car parking and a new airport.

MORE EXPORTS

We have delivered trade agreements with China, Japan, Korea and the Trans-Pacific Partnership and signed the Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations, Indonesia, Peru and Hong Kong.

Australia’s exports increased to a record $438 billion in 2018, up from $307 billion in 2012-13. In 2018, Australia had a trade surplus of over $22 billion (compared to a deficit of $19.9 billion in 2012-13).

TACKLING UNION LAWLESSNESS

The Australian Building and Construction Commission has been restored to protect 1.1 million employees and 350,000 small businesses and tradies in the building industry from CFMMEU lawlessness.

Corrupt and secret payments have been banned between businesses and unions.

Around 35,000 owner-operator truck drivers were saved from a hostile union takeover, with the abolition of the so-called "Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal" established by Bill Shorten.

SECURE BORDERS

We stopped the boats. After 50,000 illegal arrivals in 800 boats under Labor, Australia’s borders are now secure and there were no arrivals over four years (from 2014 to 2018).

19 detention centres have been closed, saving the Budget billions.

FIGHTING TERROR

15 major terrorist plots have been thwarted. A total of 93 people have been charged as a result of 41 counter-terrorism operations in Australia since September 2014.

The Government is boosting our security agencies, has introduced tougher anti-terror laws and is revoking citizenship of dual nationals who engage in terrorism.

DEPORTING CRIMINALS

The Government has cancelled the visas of nearly 4,400 dangerous criminals – including murderers, rapists, child sex offenders, armed robbers and drug dealers. This follows the strengthening of the Migration Act, enabling the deportation of non-citizens who commit serious crimes.

TACKLING SCOURGE OF ICE

The ABF has seized over 12 tonnes of illicit drugs and precursors at the border since July 2018. We are providing record funding for law enforcement and treatment.

A STRONGER DEFENCE FORCE

We are undertaking the largest build-up of our military capabilities in peacetime history to provide the weapons, vehicles, ships, systems and aircraft to defend our nation and our interests.

Our $90 billion continuous shipbuilding program will see 54 vessels built in Australia using Australian steel. Labor did not commission a single naval vessel to be built in Australia during their six years in office.

KEEPING WOMEN SAFE

We have invested a record $328 million in preventing and reducing domestic family violence, including for new emergency accommodation.

KEEPING CHILDREN SAFE

Over $100 million has been invested in online safety, with new tools for parents and schools to tackle cyberbullying and support kids.

We’ve also introduced tough new laws to protect children from online predators, introduced criminal penalties for online image-based abuse. We’ve introduced laws to ensure paedophiles spend longer in jail.

MORE AFFORDABLE CHILD CARE

The New Child Care Package is benefitting nearly 1 million families. It abolishes the $7,613 annual cap per child (incomes of $186,958 or less) and introduces a new Child Care Subsidy. A typical family is around $1,300 better off each year and out of pocket costs for families have fallen by 10 per cent.

MORE SCHOOLS FUNDING

An extra $37 billion of funding is being provided over a decade (to 2029). That’s a 62% funding increase for the average student. Our agreement replaces 27 secret deals and will provide needs based funding for all students.

BETTER HEALTH CARE

We are doubling public hospital funding compared to Labor, increasing funding from $13.3 billion in 2012-13 to $23.6 billion in 2020-21 (a 77% increase).

133 million GP visits were bulk billed last year – 27.3 million more than Labor’s last year. The bulk billing rate has increased from 82% under Labor, to 86%. Reforms have been introduced to make private health insurance easier to understand and more affordable.

IMMUNISATIONS

From the start of this year, all 12 and 13 year-olds have access to free protection against the HPV virus and cervical and other cancers.

Every pregnant woman will now be given the opportunity to vaccinate against whooping cough with a free vaccine.

Every 12-month-old in the country is now offered a free quad-strain (ACWY) meningococcal vaccine.

Our No Jab, No Pay policy resulted in 210,000 extra children being immunised in its first year.

More than 94% of Australian children are immunised as a result of our initiatives – the highest rate on record.

LIFE SAVING MEDICINES

We have made over 2,000 medicine listings worth $10.6 billion on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.

In some cases, medicines that are worth hundreds of thousands of dollars are now available for $6.50 (pensioners / concessional) or $40.30 (general patients) per script, benefiting people suffering from conditions such as cancer, heart disease, epilepsy, spinal muscular atrophy and severe asthma.

This is in stark contrast to Labor, who deferred or delayed the listing of a number of important medicines.

SUPPORTING SENIORS

We are investing in skills programs for older workers, allowing people on the Age Pension to keep more of what they earn, allowing more older Australians to contribute more to their superannuation, expanding the Pension Loans Scheme, allowing recent retirees to make further super contributions and providing more high level home care packages.

We will fight Bill Shorten’s new Retiree Tax.

WELFARE TO WORK

We believe the best form of welfare is a job. Work for the Dole has been reinvigorated with almost 69,000 participants this year.

People will no longer be able to use drug and alcohol dependency as an excuse for missing their requirements, unless they are prepared to seek treatment.

Cashless welfare cards are being trialled in three locations and have been shown to work in reducing binge drinking, gambling and illegal drug use.

A FAIRER GST SYSTEM

$9 billion in extra funding will now be delivered to the states and territories over 10 years, with a fairer and more sustainable funding formula.

All states will benefit, especially WA – which in recent years has received GST revenues of just 30 cents of every GST dollar.

RESTRICTING GAMBLING ADS

As part of the Liberal and Nationals Government’s media reforms, gambling ads have been removed during televised sports between 5:00am and 8.30pm on free-to-air television.

SAME SEX MARRIAGE

All Australians had the opportunity to have a say on same sex marriage, which is now law.

Information current as at April 2019