Single Touch Payroll

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (14:31): My question is to the Treasurer. Can the Treasurer please update the chamber on the latest Single Touch Payroll figures—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: —for South Australia?

The PRESIDENT: Order! I will ask you to repeat the question. I didn't hear it because of the interjections.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: They are very excitable, the members opposite. My question is to the Treasurer and the question is—

The Hon. K.J. Maher interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order, the Leader of the Opposition!

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: —can the Treasurer please update the chamber on the latest Single Touch Payroll figures?

Members interjecting:

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: And the members opposite might like to listen.

The PRESIDENT: The Treasurer has the call.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! The Treasurer has the call and will be heard in silence.

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS (Treasurer) (14:32): Thank you, Mr President. I am delighted to inform all members, I am sure, that the Single Touch Payroll figures that I regularly report to the house on were released today at 11 o'clock.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: What they demonstrate is that, since the low point of the pandemic in April of last year, there has been a 13.5 per cent increase in employee jobs in South Australia—13.5 per cent—which is the highest increase in jobs in any state in the nation and considerably higher than the national average for the nation, which was still a healthy 10.7 per cent but nevertheless significantly below us. The Eastern States were all at 10.1 per cent, with Queensland, Victoria and New South Wales at 10.3 per cent. It is very pleasing to be able to report that, since the low point of the pandemic in April last year, the number of employee jobs has increased significantly and at the highest rate of any of the states.

The Hon. C.M. Scriven interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: As I have indicated before, from our viewpoint anyway, the equally important measure the Single Touch Payroll provides is the measure of employee wages, which is wages going into households. Again, that shows South Australia with the second highest increase of all the states. Western Australia again leads the way with 12.4 per cent, but South Australia's growth since the low point of the pandemic is 10.7 per cent.

It is significantly ahead of the national figure at 8.7, and again comparing it with Queensland at 7.5 and New South Wales at 7.5. Employee wages, that is wages going to households, rising at such a significant rate is obviously enormously encouraging for those people who want to hear good things about what's going on in the South Australian economy at the moment.

It is also pleasing, whilst I have indicated before that the monthly labour force figures jump around significantly, only five or so months ago we were the lowest unemployment rate in the nation. For the last two or three months, we have been the highest unemployment rate in the nation. Very pleasingly, we are no longer the highest unemployment rate in the nation, on the most recent figures released last week. Our unemployment rate had plunged to 5.7 per cent, the national rate is 5.5 per cent, so almost the same as the national rate and, again, no longer that mantle of the highest unemployment rate in the nation. But as I said—

The Hon. I.K. Hunter: It's the second highest.

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: No, third, third highest.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: But as I said, a mere five months ago we were the lowest unemployment rate in the nation. The labour force figures jump around. That's why it's useful to look at a number of measures: the Single Touch Payroll and the monthly labour force figures. On this occasion, they are happily reporting very good signs for the state of economic recovery in the state.

Finally, those labour force figures are demonstrating that there had been a recovery of some 43,000 jobs year-on-year in South Australia: from April to April, 43,000 additional jobs. If you go to the low point of the labour force figures, which was a month later in May, it's actually an increase of 53,000 jobs in South Australia over the last 11 months, so encouraging signs. There is still much more work that has to be done, but for those people who want to hear and see good things about economic recovery in South Australia, the labour force and the Single Touch Payroll figures are important signs of recovery in the state's economy.