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House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2008-10-14 Daily Xml
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UNEMPLOYMENT FIGURES

Mr VENNING (Schubert) (15:47): Today I rise to talk about the release of the recent unemployment figures for South Australia from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, which are extremely worrying. More than 47,700 South Australians are unemployed, with an extra 11,700 becoming jobless in September. In these economic times it is certainly a worry, particularly with the boom times we have been experiencing. The figures show that we have the worst unemployment rate in the country at 5.7 per cent and the highest rate for nearly four years.

The national jobless rate is 4.3 per cent. Perhaps more concerning is that our youth unemployment rate has reached 28.4 per cent which is hard to believe and which is almost double the national rate of 16.9 per cent. These figures show that the Rann government's priorities are coming at the expense of other areas. More government support is clearly needed to reduce the youth unemployment rate in this state. Problems in other employment sectors also need to be addressed. Primary industries are suffering at the moment as the drought continues. It is becoming increasingly difficult to grow quantity and quality produce.

This has a flow-on effect with less being produced, and fewer pickers, farm hands, packing workers, and the like, are required, which further compounds our unemployment situation. Manufacturing industries are also facing difficult times as they struggle to compete with interstate and overseas competitors in challenging economic times. The demise of the Mitsubishi plant in South Australia is just one prime example. These areas are where we have obviously lost ground. The state Rann Labor government needs to refocus its attention on these industries in order to reverse our unemployment statistics in the current economic climate—not to mention the drought. In a press release put out on 8 October, Premier Rann said:

South Australia is expected to roll out more than $1.7 billion in extra mining production. All of this work will boost jobs, exports and economic growth for South Australia.

According to statistics out earlier this year, it is clear that the alleged mining boom has not resulted in the increased job opportunities for South Australians that the state government says it has. The statistics show that we lost nearly 37 per cent of the jobs in the mining industry in a bit over 12 months. That equates to between 12,000 and 13,000 jobs. For the state Rann Labor government to be talking about increased job opportunities as a result of the mining boom I believe is misleading and gives a false sense of the employment opportunities that are available to South Australians.

Mr Rann has said that he would measure his success as Premier on the basis of jobs. In that case, he has failed miserably. In the past seven years that the state Rann Labor government has been in power, this state has experienced the best economic years that it has ever seen. In a press release put out by the Premier in September, he said that a low unemployment rate underlies the strength of the state's economy. That being the case, what does the current jobless rate say about our present economic situation? Higher unemployment rates—

The Hon. M.J. Atkinson interjecting:

Mr VENNING: You did; you have been through a time of boom with mining and everything else and it is coming to an end fast.

The Hon. M.J. Atkinson: You hope.

Mr VENNING: No, I do not hope. I will not have that on the record without refuting it. You go out and see the hardship out there. Higher unemployment rates are not going to be an attraction to business to set up in South Australia, so the implications of having the highest unemployment rate in Australia could be devastating for the business sector. For the employment minister to say in an interview 'there are some positive aspects to it', with reference to the latest job figures, is delusional and misleading.

The current global economic crisis, along with the continuing drought, will continue to put pressure on jobs growth in this state. The US recession will reduce the demand for our resources and commodities, not only in the US but also in China and India. The state Rann Labor government needs to put more effort into assisting our youth find employment, aiding those who work in our agricultural industries and giving support to the manufacturing industry in order for the unemployment rate to drop and, in turn, increase the financial stability of our state.

This government has been paying lip service to jobs in country areas. Look at its ridiculous decision on the shared services reforms—a stripping of jobs right where they are needed, and moving those jobs to the city—and the so-called cost savings are totally lost in government bureaucratic red tape, relocation and implementation costs. It is an absolute disgrace, and I note the motion on the Notice Paper of the house.

This sort of action hurts country people, especially in these difficult economic times, not to speak of the ongoing drought. It is a very serious time. As I said three weeks ago when we were here, if we come back to this house and it has not rained, we are in a serious situation. We are back, it has not rained and we are in a very serious economic situation.

Time expired.

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