House of Assembly Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1) 52 1 Parliament of South Australia House of Assembly published Ministerial Statement Ministerial Statement Employment Figures EMPLOYMENT FIGURES The Hon. M.D. RANN House of Assembly Ramsay Premier Minister for Economic Development Minister for Social Inclusion Minister for the Arts Minister for Sustainability and Climate Change The Hon. M.D. RANN (Ramsay—Premier, Minister for Economic Development, Minister for Social Inclusion, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Sustainability and Climate Change) (14:02): I seek leave to make a ministerial statement. Leave granted. The Hon. M.D. RANN House of Assembly The Hon. M.D. RANN: I am delighted to inform the house that the latest job figures released today show a drop in the state's headline unemployment rate of 0.3 percentage points to 5.3 per cent. The January figures show that in trend terms 813,900 South Australians were employed in January. Significantly, the participation rate in trend terms in January also remained steady at 63.4 per cent, indicating that South Australians continue to have confidence in their ability to find a job and people are out there looking for work. The youth unemployment rate in January fell by more than eight percentage points to 24.8 per cent—below the national rate of 25.1 per cent. Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! Mr Williams interjecting: The Hon. M.D. RANN House of Assembly The Hon. M.D. RANN: Here we go. I've just given you the figures. The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order, member for MacKillop! The Hon. M.D. RANN House of Assembly The Hon. M.D. RANN: The youth unemployment rate fell by more than 8 per cent—lower than the national rate. If you call out for the figures, I will give them to you. 122,800 new jobs have been created in South Australia since we came to office in 2002. The January figures show growth in total employment in South Australia of 17.8 per cent since 2002, more than double the figure of just 8 per cent during the term of the last Liberal government. An even greater contrast is that full-time employment has grown by 16.4 per cent under the Rann government, compared to just 1.2 per cent during the term of the previous Liberal government. So, if members opposite want to call out, let me give you the figures again: full-time jobs have grown by 16.4 per cent under Labor, compared to 1.2 per cent during the Liberal's entire eight years and more. Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! The Hon. M.D. RANN House of Assembly The Hon. M.D. RANN: I can see that members opposite are unhappy. They are unhappy about a fall in the jobless rate. That is what they are about. In their entire last term of more than eight years the former Liberal government created just 5,800 full-time jobs. In just the past 12 months under this government there have been 11,600 full-time jobs created, nearly double the figure for the previous government's entire term. Mr Pisoni House of Assembly Mr Pisoni: 8,200 more unemployed in the last 12 months; 8,200 more can't get a job. The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! The Hon. M.D. RANN House of Assembly The Hon. M.D. RANN: Let me just repeat this by way of emphasis: we have doubled the jobs growth of your entire eight years in government in just one year alone. Last year we committed to delivering 100,000 new jobs by 2016. Today's employment figures show that we are well on track to delivering it, and you can't stand it. You cannot stand the fact that we have doubled your growth rate in one year. Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! The Hon. M.D. RANN House of Assembly The Hon. M.D. RANN: Eight years and we have doubled it in one. Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! Mr Williams interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: The house will come to order! The member for MacKillop will be quiet. An honourable member interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! That was disgraceful. Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Your comments; your behaviour. Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order!