Senator BIRMINGHAM (South Australia—Minister for Finance, Vice-President of the Executive Council and Leader of the Government in the Senate) (14:34): I thank Senator Lambie for her question. The government, indeed, fills some jobs, and there have been some distinguished former members of parliament who have filled some jobs over a period of time—from all sides of politics at different times as well, I note. Of course, far more important than the jobs that the Australian government fills are the jobs that the private sector fills across Australia, creating sustainable opportunities for Australians and a growing economy. What we as a government were pleased to have achieved prior to the pandemic was a record level of employment across Australia. During our first six years in office we saw employment grow by 1.5 million additional jobs, thanks to strong growth across the private sector and strong growth in Australian businesses, which took on more Australians and created more opportunities. In doing so, what those Australians enjoyed was, of course, the opportunity of work, the opportunity to provide for their family, the opportunity to plan for the future. The benefit that provided— The PRESIDENT: Senator Lambie on a point of order? Senator Lambie: I like to be informed in here; that's wonderful. But I just wanted to know whether there are any $400,000-a-year taxpayer funded jobs that he's looking to fill that may involve being an ex-member of parliament: yes or no. The PRESIDENT: I've allowed you to restate your question, Senator Lambie. I'm going to take the minister as being relevant, given the nature of the question, unless you object further and are demanding a very specific answer. Senator BIRMINGHAM: So, having addressed those issues at the start of the answer, the point is that, through having achieved all of that extra jobs growth across the Australian economy, it created the situation where the welfare dependency among working-age Australians was at its lowest level ever. We had record numbers of taxpayers across Australia and we had achieved, indeed, a participation rate at its highest level. Crucially, women's workforce participation was at its highest level as well. They are the jobs our government is overwhelmingly focused on delivering for Australians, delivering as part of the— The PRESIDENT: Senator Lambie on a point of order? Senator Lambie: Is what you're talking about now taxpayer funded jobs, or are you just going on the loose, Minister? The PRESIDENT: Order! Senator Birmingham to continue. Senator BIRMINGHAM: I'm pleased to say the vast majority of the jobs our government has seen created under our watch are in the private sector. Businesses are growing across Australia, creating more opportunities for more Australians to get ahead, and that's our focus for the economic recovery too. The PRESIDENT: Senator Lambie, a supplementary question?