Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: The latest Westpac McDermott Miller Employment Confidence Index report found confidence among households has eased following the rise in alert levels, but this is far less pronounced than last year's lockdown. The index declined 4.4 percent to 102.7 in the September quarter, compared with the previous June quarter, and below the long-term average of 110.6. While there was some growing nervousness about the economic outlook, in the survey households said that they felt fairly secure about their personal financial situation. In fact, an increasing number of respondents reported their financial position had improved over the last year, and most expected that their finances would continue to strengthen over the coming year. This bodes well for the economy as our alert level settings are eased, and it shows that our science- and health-led response continues to work for the economy.