Employment Figures

Mr MARSHALL (Dunstan—Leader of the Opposition) (14:30): My supplementary is: why won't the Treasurer commit to the government's promise of 100,000 new jobs between now and 2016?

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens—Treasurer, Minister for Finance, Minister for State Development, Minister for Mineral Resources and Energy, Minister for Small Business) (14:30): I didn't say we wouldn't commit to it. What I am saying is that the opposition is putting barriers in front of us to try and stop us from creating more jobs. What we are trying to do is expand an industry that has the potential to create thousands and thousands of jobs—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: —and bring billions and billions of dollars into our state. The Leader of the Opposition and his backbenchers are in the South-East saying they will do all they can to stop this industry. I will quote from the Leader of the Opposition. He said it was imperative that they establish—

Ms CHAPMAN: Point of order: again this is clearly debate and quoting statements made by the Leader of the Opposition—nothing to do with the question about why won't the Treasurer make a commitment to this promise.

The SPEAKER: Well, I am glad that the deputy leader has taken a point of order, because it will give me an opportunity to call her, the member for Unley and the member for Heysen to order. The distinction I made before still stands. I will listen carefully to what the Treasurer has to say and, for the member for Finniss's information, I can understand him perfectly.

Ms Redmond: Well, most of us can't.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Oh, you can't hear. That's your excuse now—you can't hear.

Mr Pengilly: No, Tom, I can't hear you clearly.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Well, I'm not sure what hearing and translating have in common, but perhaps you can explain that later. The reality is that the government is attempting to do all it can to create jobs. I note, of course, that the commonwealth are making it as difficult as they possibly can for us to create jobs as well by shattering business confidence in South Australia and, indeed, everywhere else in the country.

Before the commonwealth budget, you saw actually a very good program by the Prime Minister and the Treasurer to try and do as much as they could to create confidence, but all the indicators since the commonwealth budget have shown a dive in consumer confidence, which could, of course, hurt people investing in our economy and, of course, they have created options of sovereign risk.

Other aspects of sovereign risk that are being created by members of this place are members opposite. They are the ones who are telling people who are investing in unconventional gas that they are not welcome here in South Australia. Fancy wanting an inquiry for something we have been doing for 50 years in this state.

The SPEAKER: I think the Treasurer has made his point.