QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE

Senator ROBERTS (Queensland) (14:47): My question is, once again, to the Minister representing the Treasurer, Senator Gallagher, on the subject of labour market economics. In June 2022, at the start of the Albanese government, there were 1.35 million Australians underutilised in the workforce according to the ABS. In July 2026, this had increased to 1.68 million.

Taking out the COVID period, underutilisation has been falling since the measure began in 2014, until Labor took over. Now, it's going up. The only interpretation of this data is that there are not enough hours and not enough work to go around.

As a result, 1.68 million Australians are working less than they want and need to. Why can't people find enough work under this Labor government?