Question Time

Unemployment Figures

Mr MARSHALL (Dunstan—Leader of the Opposition) (14:10): My question is to the Premier. What does the Premier say to the 60,000 South Australians who are now looking for jobs in our state?

The SPEAKER: The Premier. That is a very open-ended question.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Premier) (14:10): It is indeed.

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis: Don't vote Liberal.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: That's right. That this government is on their side and that it has committed itself to building a stronger South Australia and is committing itself—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Premier, please be seated for a moment. The leader is called to order and so is the Minister for Health.

The Hon. P. Caica interjecting:

The SPEAKER: And so is the member for Colton.

Mr Marshall interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The leader is warned. Premier.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Thank you, Mr Speaker. We are committing ourselves to the transformation of the South Australian economy in a way—

Mr Pisoni: More unemployed.

The SPEAKER: The member for Unley is called to order.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: The truth is that the unemployment rate in this state has bounced around over a number of months now and the number of jobs that are being created in the South Australian economy are roughly equivalent to the number of jobs that are being lost.

Mr Tarzia interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Hartley is warned.

Mr Marshall interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The leader is warned for the second and final time.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: That has been the consistent position for a very significant period of time so what we are seeing is both—

Mr Pisoni interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Unley is warned.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: —creation and destruction in the South Australian economy which is very unnerving for those people who have lost their jobs—exciting for those who are in the growing industries. The challenge that remains for us is how we grow those parts of the economy which are actually growing quickly, the parts of manufacturing which are growing quickly, to soak up those jobs that are being lost elsewhere. This is the challenge for us and it does not assist the challenge for those to mindlessly repeat the nature of the challenge. What would advance the cause is if they actually had a positive idea which would allow us to—

Mr Marshall interjecting:

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: There is a near-term event where they could make a positive contribution, that is, to persuade their federal colleagues in the federal budget to do three things: to restore the $900 million of cuts to the Automotive Transformation Scheme after they drove the car industry out of this country—

Mr PEDERICK: Point of order.

The SPEAKER: Point of order, member for Hammond.

Mr PEDERICK: The Premier has got nothing to do with the responsibilities of the federal government.

The SPEAKER: First of all, the question was most open ended and rhetorical in nature. When the Premier resorts to debate I allow the opposition to interject at will and I propose to continue that policy.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Mr Speaker, I won't be debating that; I will be answering this question in its terms. What would I say to all of those unemployed people who are actually looking for a stronger future? I would ask them to speak to the federal government and make their voice known—

Mr Pisoni interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Unley is warned for the second and final time.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: —raise their voice so it can be heard by the federal Liberal government as they frame this budget, restore the $900 million you cut from the Automotive Transformation Scheme, keep your promise on the renewable energy target and unlock $4.2 billion worth of investment in the renewable energy sector creating hundreds of jobs here in this state.

Keep your promise to build 12 new submarines here in South Australia which will create thousands of jobs and renew confidence in South Australia and, while you are at it, design an asset recycling scheme that does not punish South Australia because the lot over there flogged all of our assets when they were last in government. Design a fair scheme so we get a fair crack at the infrastructure spending of the state, and for good measure the federal government should also be requested to reverse its cuts to pensioner concessions to ensure that those who are most vulnerable are protected.

The SPEAKER: The Premier will not refer to Her Majesty's Opposition as 'that lot over there'.