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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2011-10-19 Daily Xml
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UNEMPLOYMENT FIGURES

Mr PISONI (Unley) (15:09): My question is to the minister hindering—sorry—the minister assisting the Minister—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Mr PISONI: —for Employment, Training and Further Education. What does the minister say to the 48,300 and unemployed South Australians, including the 4,800 people who became unemployed last month, given his comments to the house yesterday about South Australia's unemployment rate, and I quote: '5.6 per cent is a good number'?

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: Plainly the question was out of order, containing not only opinion but inflammatory argument. It is too late to take it back but I hope the other side will not be complaining about debating the answer.

The SPEAKER: Absolutely, I uphold that. I was reflecting on the question when you stood up. Minister, do you choose to answer that question or should we go to another question?

The Hon. T.R. KENYON (Newland—Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing, Minister for Road Safety, Minister for Veterans' Affairs, Minister Assisting the Premier with South Australia's Strategic Plan, Minister Assisting the Minister for Employment, Training and Further Education) (15:10): No, ma'am, I am happy to answer the question. As I said yesterday, numbers bounce around from month to month; it is the nature of statistics. The month before we had the second best stats in the country, this month we don't . That's going to happen from time to time but any unemployment number with a five in front of it is a very, very good number.

The Hon. I.F. Evans interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. T.R. KENYON: 5.6 is a good number. I will just say, too—

The Hon. I.F. Evans interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Member for Davenport, you are warned.

An honourable member interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! We will hear the minister's answer.

The Hon. T.R. KENYON: I will say this to people who are unemployed today, that they have very great opportunities in front of them and they should be out there training themselves with the government's Skills for All program that is going to revolutionise training, and it is going to revolutionise productivity in this state. I will tell them that there are jobs galore, there are jobs out there and when, of course, Olympic Dam comes on line in the very near future, there is $1.2 billion just in pre-commitment works coming through, then it is just going to get better and better and better still. So, the opportunities in this state are very, very bright and people who are looking for work should be comforted by the fact that there is work out there.

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