Employment Figures

Dr HARVEY (Newland) (14:52): My question is to the Premier. Can the Premier please update the house on how the Marshall Liberal government is creating more jobs for South Australians, and what this means for the future of our state?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL (Dunstan—Premier) (14:52): I thank the member for Newland for his excellent question. He is focused on the big issues for our state, and that is dealing with the coronavirus and making sure we can maximise the largest number of people employed in the state of South Australia that we can.

We all know that the coronavirus has had a devastating effect on so many businesses, families and individuals right across this state, but the very good news is that South Australians have been working together and they have been abiding by the restrictions. We have been listening to science, to evidence, to the experts to guide us through this situation, and I think many people had the reward when the ABS released its statistics last week, showing that South Australia had a massive fall in its unemployment rate to 4.7 per cent, the lowest level we have had for more than a decade. In fact, it is two full percentage points lower than the Labor Party averaged over its last term in government, 6.7. It is 4.7 at the moment, and every South Australian can share in this fantastic news.

We saw a plummeting of the unemployment rate, we saw a massive increase in the participation rate in South Australia, and more than 10,600 South Australians got employment last week. For that we must be very grateful, but we also can't be complacent. There is still plenty more work to be done here in South Australia to make sure we can continue to navigate through this very difficult situation we have with the coronavirus and border restrictions being put in place, to make sure we can get even more South Australians into employment.

We know that as the employment rate increases in South Australia it means that more South Australians, especially younger South Australians, are able to have much greater hope that their future—their future employment and their future lives—is right here in South Australia. That has also been reflected in the very happy statistic that shows that we now have a net migration back to South Australia.

What we had under the previous government was a mass exodus of young people and capital out of this state. What we now have is a net migration back to South Australia for the first time in decades and decades and decades, and that is something that we should all celebrate.

What we know is that the most recent state budget handed down provided $17.9 billion worth of economic stimulus here in South Australia, support for businesses in South Australia, especially around infrastructure. The member for Newland will be very pleased because the TTP park-and-ride is being built in his electorate. I was out there recently to see it. The good news is that 215 jobs—

Members interjecting:

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: They bark, they whinge, they carp and they complain. They hate good news in South Australia.

Members interjecting:

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: They hate good news in South Australia, but the news is overwhelmingly good. Take, for example, the BankSA State Monitor—24 years this has been running. The state confidence, the business confidence in South Australia, at the moment is at the highest level in 24 years, but still Captain Negativity and the Labor Party over there want to talk down the state. Well, enough is enough. The people of South Australia are feeling positive—very positive about their response to the coronavirus and most optimistic about the future when we can create future jobs in fantastic areas.

One of the areas we want to really focus on here in South Australia of course is new apprentices and trainees in South Australia. I want to congratulate my good friend the Minister for Innovation and Skills in South Australia, who has been doing a mighty job. When I look at the statistics to the end of last year there was a more than 20 per cent increase—a more than 20 per cent increase—in the number of apprentices and trainees in South Australia through last year, which is absolutely fantastic.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: They whinge, they whine, they carp, they complain. They presided over an absolute disaster in terms of vocational education and training and they don't even have the decency to congratulate the minister on the great work that he's doing. But the good news is that the statistics speak for themselves. The statistics speak for themselves.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Premier, your time has expired.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: There are very happy days ahead for South Australia.