Mrs GALLUS —My question is addressed to the Minister for Employment, Workplace Relations and Small Business. Minister, with the economy growing by 4.7 per cent, as shown by the latest national accounts, and the government having clawed back the rate of unemployment from 11 per cent, which it was under Labor's administration, what now are the impediments that prevent more being done to increase employment and reduce unemployment?

Mr REITH (Workplace Relations and Small Business) —I thank the honourable member for her question. The figures today are good figures. They are a great tribute to the Prime Minister, and the leadership that he has given. They are a great tribute to the expertise of the Treasurer. They are also a tribute to those people who won marginal seats, to see this government return and continue with the excellent economic management that it has put in place and which has seen some of the best figures that we have seen since 1990. I know members on this side will welcome that and, of course, we see the glum faces on the other side.

One of the reasons why the numbers were pretty good is that we are doing better with younger people, and there is no doubt about that. We are doing better with younger people partly because we have in place a system where younger people can get a job on an age based junior rate. The consequences of Labor continually saying no to jobs for young people is that the gains that we have made are to be taken away in the middle of next year at the insistence of Mr Beazley who instructs his Labor colleagues in the Senate to vote no to every sensible measure to create jobs.

On the opposition front bench we have a troika—the member for Hotham, the member for Brand and the member for Batman—against reform and against job prospects. As the Prime Minister said, things are going pretty well in the Australian economy and now is the time to take the opportunity to do better and make the structural reforms. We still have 70,000 young people unemployed. This is no time for opposition for the sake of opposition. Now is the time to drive ahead and give these people the opportunities that an economy like Australia really deserves.

What is the response we get from the opposition? It is the old ploy in politics: when you're having a bad week, go on the attack. And what a bad week it has been—`Close ranks, please.' `A restless ALP.' `Beazley hits out at leadership jibes.' `Labor leaderless and rudderless.' `Brereton blamed for ALP disunity.'