Job Creation

The Hon. D.G.E. HOOD (15:26): I rise today to speak about economic performance and job creation in South Australia. As we continue to ease restrictions, the Marshall Liberal government is creating more jobs and supporting businesses through our $2 billion stimulus package. Over the last month, an astonishing extra 13,400 jobs were created, and over the last three months more than 33,000 South Australians have found work.

We know we have a lot more work to do, but we hope that by keeping South Australia safe and our economy strong we can continue to further ease restrictions, support our businesses and continue to create more jobs. South Australia's headline unemployment rate was unchanged at 7.9 per cent in August, with 841,200 South Australians in some form of employment.

Significantly, there is growing confidence in our local economy. South Australia’s employment growth over the last months was the second highest of any state, and the state experienced the highest growth in the participation rate nationally. In fact, the size of South Australia's labour force has now returned to pre-COVID levels. This is indeed a fantastic achievement.

Nearly 100,000 jobs have been supported in South Australia through our $10,000 emergency cash grants, which have benefited more than 18,700 hardworking small businesses and not-for-profit organisations. Moving forward, maintaining and creating more local jobs remains a top priority for the Marshall Liberal government, which is why, along with our $2 billion stimulus, we are rolling out a record $12.9 billion pipeline of infrastructure works over the next four years. This is the largest investment in infrastructure in our state's history.

We are not just building roads; we are also building schools, hospitals and affordable housing. Our infrastructure build underpins a host of sectors within our economy and will improve the lives of everyday South Australians. Importantly, the government is also lowering the cost of doing business in South Australia, helping our businesses grow and, as I have outlined, creating more jobs.

With our tourism, retail and hospitality industries hit so hard by the necessary COVID restrictions, we must do everything we can to allow our local businesses to survive and thrive. This is particularly the case for small business, obviously. South Australia's 143,000 small businesses (defined as those employing 20 people or less) form the backbone and are key drivers of the state’s growth and employment.

We are also continuing to expand our defence industry capabilities at Osborne and Edinburgh, which will sustain thousands of local jobs. This is on the back of the recent positive job announcement that global tech and services company Accenture is to set up an Adelaide hub in the Lot Fourteen precinct, with a plan to create up to 2,000 jobs.

The Adelaide hub includes development of national security and cyber defence capabilities as well as new advanced technology centres of excellence in areas such as IT. It also boasts artificial intelligence and analytics. The Lot Fourteen site is already home to the Australian Space Agency, the Smart Sat Cooperative Research Centre, MIT Living Lab, the Australian Institute of Machine Learning and the Australian Cyber Collaboration Centre.

We also have the encouraging news that BAE will hire 1,000 staff to work on the $45 billion Future Frigate Program in 2021—just next year. The vast majority of the jobs will be based in South Australia and involve construction on the first of the Hunter class warships. Naval Group Australia is also expected to hire more than 100 new staff in 2021 as the $90 billion Future Submarine build approaches, with a focus on engineering, procurement, trades and information and communications technology. The sector will help the economy recover by delivering local jobs, as well as flow-on benefits in technology and innovation.

It has been hugely reassuring also that Australia Post is running its biggest recruitment drive in its 210-year history, with 221 jobs up for grabs in South Australia. We have recently seen the opening of the Adelaide Oval Hotel, which has created over 100 ongoing jobs. Further, South Australian-based potato supplier, the Pye Group, receiving funding through our government's Regional Growth Fund, will create around 40 new regional jobs. The Regional Growth Fund itself was established to unlock new economic activity in our regions, and it is delivering critical economic infrastructure to create direct benefits across regional industries and strengthen regional communities.

To ensure that South Australians are equipped for the jobs of the future, the Marshall Liberal government's Skilling South Australia program is also delivering 20,000 apprenticeships and traineeships for South Australians.

The Hon. C.M. Scriven: Ha!

The Hon. D.G.E. HOOD: And we will get there. This translates into more jobs and lasting careers in new and expanding industries like defence, space, advanced manufacturing and health. The South Australian government is committed to helping people get skills and qualifications to build careers and meet the workforce needs of industry now and into the future, driving growth in apprenticeships and developing a sustainable training system.

The initiative encompasses a range of activities to ensure that these training opportunities are attractive to job seekers, business and industry. South Australia is leading the nation in apprenticeship and trainee growth. The latest national training data for the year March 2020 shows South Australia recorded an 11.9 per cent increase in paid training commencements.