Unemployment Figures

Mr MALINAUSKAS (Croydon—Leader of the Opposition) (16:25): Supplementary question to the Premier: when will the Premier commit to South Australia achieving the second lowest unemployment rate in the nation by?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL (Dunstan—Premier) (16:25): I'm not sure how that was supplementary to my answer, but, again, he is new to this chamber. He probably doesn't particularly understand supplementaries, which are supposed to follow on from something we have actually said in our answer, but we will give you a bit of leeway. We will give the member for Croydon a bit of leeway.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The Premier will be heard in silence. Order!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: The reality is that we need to do much better, and the good news—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —the very good news for the people of South Australia—is that there are good times on the way because, finally, in South Australia we have a government that is going to do everything it can to create more jobs in South Australia, in particular, starting immediately, working with the private sector to create more private sector jobs.

We know what the former premier thought of the private sector. Basically, he said that he wasn't a free-market guy. He said that the people who were out there putting their capital on the line to create private sector jobs, risking their capital, they were just the employer class—like there were two classes of people in South Australia. Well, I put it to you, sir, that I honour the people in South Australia who put their capital on the line to create private sector jobs, and I commit myself in this chamber again today to do all we can to make it easier to create more jobs in South Australia.

Lower taxes—we want to have lower taxes in South Australia. We want to have less punishing red tape and regulation in South Australia. We want to do all we can to create the right number and the right skill set for people seeking employment in South Australia. That's why we took a very popular policy—completely ignored by the previous government—around creating more apprenticeships and traineeships in South Australia, a very important area for our young people.

Can I just say to those carping and complaining opposite: take a look at your performance. In South Australia, last year there were just 3,600 apprenticeship commencements in South Australia—less than half what it was three years ago—at exactly the time when we need more young people considering a technical career in South Australia.

We have an avalanche of new work coming into South Australia courtesy of the federal government's massive almost $90 billion worth of ship construction in South Australia, and it is incumbent upon a responsible government to make sure that we have the skilled workforce available and ready to deliver on that work, and that is exactly what we are going to do. We took that policy to the people of South Australia—a $100 million commitment over the next four years.

Whilst the former government was sitting on its hands, we were developing the policies that will create more jobs—almost 21,000 additional apprenticeships and traineeships here in South Australia. I am really looking forward to working with the Minister for Industry and Skills and the Minister for Education to promote the great opportunity there is for our children in schools to consider a trade qualification in South Australia.

I was very honoured to have my father here today for the opening of the parliament in the other house. He got his start as an apprentice at Holden down at the Woodville plant. He points out that it was a five-year apprenticeship in those days. I said, 'What, were you a bit slow? They're only taking four years now.' He said, ‘No, that's the way it was done in those days.' Plenty of people have started with a trade, done extraordinarily well with a trade, and that opportunity is available to our next generation in South Australia. We are not going to be asleep at the wheel, sir. We are going to be doing everything we can to grow employment in South Australia, and we've got dozens and dozens of positive policies. Get on board. Help us grow the economy and get this state moving again.

The SPEAKER: Before I call the next speaker, I call to order the member for Mawson, the member for Playford and the member for Waite. The member for Hammond.