Mr BARTLETT —My question is addressed to the Prime Minister. Can the Prime Minister inform the House of the government's approach to generating jobs for all Australians? What plans does the government have for maximising employment opportunities for the unemployed?

Mr HOWARD (Prime Minister) —The government has a variety of approaches and policies for reducing unemployment in Australia. The first and most important policy is to maintain a high level of economic growth. I am proud to say that under the government I lead Australia's economic growth is world class. Australia's economic growth is ahead of virtually every other nation. Thanks to the extremely good stewardship of the Australian Treasury by my colleague the Treasurer, we have a level of economic performance in this country which is the best for 25 or 30 years.

The major way in which you generate jobs is to have a strong and growing economy. One of the ways to maintain a strong and growing economy is to constantly be at the task of continuing reform. That is why we remain committed to reform of the Australian taxation system. That is why we have reform of the Australian labour market. That is why we are removing the work disincentives in the welfare system. That is why our tax package eliminates poverty gaps. That is why we are trying to take the burdens off small business by further reforms to our unfair dismissal laws.

But over the last 24 hours in the Australian Senate the Labor Party and the Australian Democrats have resolved to destroy 50,000 Australian jobs. The Australian Labor Party, by voting down the unfair dismissal law, has sent the message to the Australian small business community that basically it does not believe in small business, that basically it is prepared to burden the Australian small business community with an unfair dismissal law which, although better than the one we inherited in March 1996, is still inadequate.

The Australian Labor Party and the Australian Democrats will have another opportunity in a short period of time to vote to save the jobs of 230,000 young Australians because we are seeking to entrench in the law of this country the maintenance of junior wages within the award system. It is the view of the retail industry, which is a major employer of young Australians, that if that entrenching does not take place, if that measure is not passed into law, then the job security of 230,000 young Australians will be lessened. I cannot believe that a party which has always said that it is concerned about unemployment, that always says that it is concerned about the young, would be prepared, on top of what it did in the Senate last night on the unfair dismissal law, to vote against the measures relating to youth wages.

I have just one message for the Australian Labor Party on this, and that is that every time employment figures come out in this country the Australian public will be reminded that the Australian Labor Party last night voted to destroy 50,000 jobs in the small business community in Australia.