South Australian Labour Force

Ms THOMPSON (Davenport) (14:31): My question is to the Treasurer. Can the Treasurer update the house on the state of the South Australian labour force?

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN (Lee—Treasurer, Minister for Defence and Space Industries, Minister for Police) (14:31): Can I thank the member for her question, because the Australian Bureau of Statistics has released its latest monthly update on the labour force across the country, and including in South Australia. It was really pleasing to see another strong month of performance when it comes to the state's unemployment rate. Last month the state recorded an unemployment rate of 4 per cent, which was fractionally below the national unemployment rate of 4.1 per cent. This month the nation's unemployment rate has remained the same at 4.1 per cent, but the South Australian unemployment rate has fallen to 3.9 per cent.

Mr Speaker, you would remember that I have advised the house previously that the records of the unemployment rate started in South Australia in 1978, 47 years ago—it was a good year for some of us, back in the very old days, it feels like increasingly. It has only been 16 times that the state's unemployment rate has had a three in front of it; it has been three something per cent. Across 47 years of records, all of those occasions have been recorded in the three years of the Malinauskas government.

It shows just how strong the state's economy has been performing during the last three years when our unemployment rate has not only fallen to such historic lows, but at the same time, since I think September 2023, so the last 18 months of unemployment statistics, our state has shaken that unwelcome reputation for having either the highest unemployment rate in the nation or an unemployment rate above the national average. We have on a regular basis now, over the last 18 months, recorded an unemployment rate at or below the national average and sometimes even the lowest.

This comes, of course, after yesterday's statistics were released by the ABS, which show there are still some 20,000 job vacancies here in South Australia. Over the last three years, there have been approximately 63,000 extra jobs added to the state's economy and, even though we have seen such strong jobs growth, there are still some 20,000 jobs available for South Australians either looking to get into the labour market or looking to change jobs in the labour market.

We are advised that these jobs are available across a range of industries. There is a huge amount of work being done, as the Minister for Housing was advising the house earlier this week, ramping up the number of houses under construction each year. We are consistently reporting figures of 14,000 houses under construction during the course of this year and last year—a huge step up in output for our housing industry.

There is a huge pipeline of commercial construction for South Australia, and that's before we see the Department for Infrastructure and Transport start up these tunnel-boring machines for the tunnels project, and as we get into other major projects. We have BAE Systems at Osborne recruiting some 80 to 90 additional staff per month during the course of this year, and every month for the next five years—so a strong labour market now, still a lot of job vacancies available and lots of jobs to come for South Australians.