Senator CORMANN (Western Australia—Leader of the Government in the Senate, Minister for Finance, Special Minister of State and Vice-President of the Executive Council) (14:54): There's so much wrong with that question. There is no $80 billion handout to big business. The next point I would make is that less-profitable businesses will be less successful and will hire fewer people, and that would lead to lower wages. We had a period of weakening economic growth at the back of the Labor period in government. We had to work to turn that situation around. You're quite right: profits are strengthening, and that is good news for the job security of millions and millions of working Australians. For example, look at the good workers at Qantas. When Labor was in government—at the tail end of Labor's period in government, when Qantas were making $3 billion worth of losses—people were losing their jobs. Qantas have been able to turn the situation around. They're now getting back into profitability, the job security of their workers is improving and the wage increases for Qantas workers are improving. Senator Cameron: Because they haven't paid any tax! Senator CORMANN: Well, a business that doesn't make any profits doesn't pay any tax. That is something Senator Cameron doesn't understand. In Australia you don't pay tax on turnover; you pay tax on profit. If a business makes losses, as Qantas was making under the period of the Labor government, the workers are less secure in their jobs, there is less opportunity for new jobs and there is less opportunity for small and medium-size businesses providing goods and services to a business like Qantas. How much better is it that profitability is now stronger? As profitability improves job security, as it increases the opportunity to invest in further business expansion, more people will be hired. As more people are hired and as there is more competition for the remaining workforce that is currently unemployed, then of course wages will go up by more. That is the basic rule of supply and demand. If supply is shrinking and demand is strengthening—which is what we want—then prices will go up. We want demand for workers to go up on the back of stronger economic growth, and of course we want supply of labour to go down because fewer and fewer people are unemployed. Under Labor, rising unemployment; under the coalition, increasing employment. (Time expired) The PRESIDENT: Senator Bilyk, a supplementary question.