Employment Figures

Mr MARSHALL (Dunstan—Leader of the Opposition) (14:32): My question is to the Premier. Does the Premier agree with the Minister for Employment, who told budget estimates that Labor's 2010 promise to deliver 100,000 additional jobs over six years was only aspirational, as opposed to a commitment?

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Premier) (14:32): Yes, I think I said the very same thing myself in this house and it seems unlikely that that commitment will be achieved. There was also a corresponding commitment that went alongside that commitment, which was to create 100,000 training places, which we dramatically exceeded and did it ahead of time. But it is true that the aftermath of the global financial crisis overwhelmed our capacity to achieve that objective. That was a commitment that was made in the lead-up to the 2010 election and the reality is that the aftermath of the global financial crisis, the slowdown in the South Australian economy and, in particular, the spectacular effect that it had on at least two very substantial—

Mr Marshall: So we should just be wary about any commitments from the government then?

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: We should be wary about unforeseeable international events, unless you predicted the global financial crisis, in which case—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Let's perhaps do this the longer way: nobody believed that, despite the very successful and far-sighted response that Australian governments and indeed this government took in this country to responding to the global financial crisis, we would get in a sense the second wave—the secondary effects which flowed through the international economy, and that is essentially what hit us post 2010.

While we were very successful here in South Australia in weathering the effects of the global financial crisis when it first hit, through a combination of stimulus from the federal government and our own investing program, what obviously overwhelmed governments around the world and, in particular, in South Australia was the slowdown that occurred off the back of it, in particular, the massive retreat of global capital from investing in large projects. We saw that with the Olympic Dam project.

Mr Marshall: So, this hit South Australia and not the other states?

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: This hit South Australia harder than most. More recently, we have been hit harder than most as a consequence of a high and sustained exchange rate. So, we didn't get the benefit—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Those opposite think that decision-making is made within an instant associated with a currency that sits at parity for almost two years.

Mr Marshall: Is that the same currency used in other states in Australia which are reducing unemployment?

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Here is a bit of a primer about the South Australian economy: it is a very exchange rate-sensitive economy, and most commentators would acknowledge that the high and sustained Australian dollar had a massive impact on manufacturing in this country. I must say, if the Leader of the Opposition doesn't understand the nature of the problem, how on earth would you trust him with being in charge of the solution? How on earth would you be in charge of trusting him with a solution?

This of course is the same leader that actually was lecturing us about our infrastructure spend as being a false economy, but the people of South Australia saw through that at the last state election. They chose a government that decided to keep on building South Australia.

Mr PISONI: Point of order, sir.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Sit down.

The SPEAKER: Point of order?

Mr PISONI: It's clearly debate.

The SPEAKER: Yes, I uphold the point of order. I call to order the leader, and warn for the first time the deputy leader, the member for Chaffey, the member for Mount Gambier, the member for Schubert, the Treasurer, the member for Adelaide and the member for Stuart. I warn for the second and final time the members for Unley and Newland, who has been doing it all day. The leader.