Unemployment Figures

Mr WINGARD (Mitchell) (15:41): Supplementary: can the minister please inform the house what the unemployment rate is in the northern suburbs?

The Hon. Z.L. BETTISON (Ramsay—Minister for Communities and Social Inclusion, Minister for Social Housing, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Minister for Youth, Minister for Volunteers) (15:41): Well, as you've seen just across the state, it's about 5.8 today.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Davenport is on two warnings and the member for Unley is now on two warnings.

The Hon. Z.L. BETTISON: Last time I did look, it was higher in the northern suburbs, just under 8 per cent, but of course we know that this is a time of transition and change not just in the north, with Holden workers finishing tomorrow. That is why we have had our Automotive Industry Participation Transformation support packages. Can I thank Holden for the support that they have given in this area. I have gone to their transition centre many times. It has opened people up there to discuss what their future will be. Particularly for some people in the north, working for Holden has been virtually their whole life. They might have started there when they just left school, followed their grandparents and parents into Holden.

On Sunday, I had the opportunity to attend the family fun day and, while it was a wonderful opportunity, and the Premier was there with me, as was the Minister for Employment, we were able to reflect on the pride of the north and the whole of South Australia with those beautiful Holden cars, and people who had great pride were telling stories about how they have kept these cars in the immaculate condition that they are. They have bought these cars as wrecks and done them up, and they were able to show that to the South Australian community.

If there is one thing I know, because I live in the north, it is that people see workers with their Holden shirts on—they are in the shops, they are at the restaurants, they are watching their kids play sport—and there is this sense of pride when you see someone who works at Holden's. So indeed tomorrow is a sad day. As we have said before, this didn't need to happen, and I think across Australia we will regret that this decision was made because, if there's one thing I know about it, it is the excellence that we have in that operation, and what we saw was that we were having the world's best practice just only recently at the GMH operations at Elizabeth.

I have been out there several times myself, it is just-in-time with the most modern technology you can imagine, and we will lose that and we have lost it from Australia. What we will be doing is having those ex-Holden workers going out through our industry, whether they will be in tourism—

The SPEAKER: Minister, I think you were asked for a figure.

The Hon. Z.L. BETTISON: I think I gave that figure.

The SPEAKER: Well, if you have given the figure, then you have answered the question. The member for Morialta.