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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
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STATE ECONOMY

Mr MARSHALL (Norwood—Leader of the Opposition) (14:16): My question is to the Premier. Why does South Australia have 17 per cent more unemployed under his premiership, three separate credit rating downgrades and now a recession since he became Premier and chose jobs over the AAA credit rating?

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Premier, Treasurer, Minister for State Development, Minister for the Public Sector, Minister for the Arts) (14:16): Well, once again, we have a misrepresentation of the facts by the Leader of the Opposition.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: No; actually, jobs have grown since I have had this role. The number of jobs has grown since I have been in this role. This is something that we have been proud of as a government over the last 11 or so years: 126,000 jobs since we came into office and, since the last election, 12,800 more jobs.

Mr Pisoni: Part time.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: So, we continue to grow the economy and people, when they see a growing economy, many more of them—

Mr Marshall: It's going backwards.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: No, it is a growing economy.

Mr Marshall: It's going backwards.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: I know those opposite would like to see it go backwards. That's why they always talk down this state.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Premier, would you be seated for a moment. I call the Leader of the Opposition to order and I not only call the member for Unley to order, but I warn him for the first time for separate offences. Premier.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: What has always been the case in South Australia is that it has always been understood that we need to work a little harder to make things happen in this state. One of our great strengths has been the way in which we work together. Business, government and the community—we work together to create productive investment and to make this state grow. That is why it is so damaging when messages are sent to the business community by those opposite for cheap political gain. To talk up themselves, they talk down the economy and—

Mr PENGILLY: Point of order, sir.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: —indeed today we have seen the talking down of a particular project.

The SPEAKER: Point of order from the member for Finniss.

Mr PENGILLY: Standing order 98, sir. The Premier is debating the matter.

The SPEAKER: Yes, well, the question was most argumentative. The Premier does now appear to be debating the question, but if the Premier has more information to offer the house as distinct from debate, he may continue.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: The information I wish to offer the house is this: we are trying to create a positive investing climate in South Australia. It is utterly damaging to the investing climate when we see sudden shifts in policy, like moratoriums on wind farms. It is also utterly devastating to honest, decent businesspeople who are putting up their own money, seeking to take risks, to grow their particular projects and to grow this economy, when they are undermined and talked down by the Leader of the Opposition.

The SPEAKER: That is unquestionably debate.

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