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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2021-03-30 Daily Xml
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Single Touch Payroll

The Hon. D.G.E. HOOD (14:31): My question is to the Treasurer. Will the Treasurer update the chamber on the latest Single Touch Payroll figures released today?

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS (Treasurer) (14:31): I must admit, Mr President, when I'm in the Myer food court mixing with the real people they are much more interested in jobs—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: —and economic growth in this state—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order, on both sides!

The Hon. E.S. Bourke interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Ms Bourke is out of order!

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: —rather than NationBuilder—

The PRESIDENT: Order! The Treasurer will proceed and will be heard in silence.

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: —Mimecast and obscure issues such as data harvesting. I am delighted to be able to—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: Mr President, I am delighted—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! The Treasurer will proceed.

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: I am delighted to be able to indicate to the chamber—

The Hon. I.K. Hunter interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Mr Hunter is out of order.

The Hon. R.P. Wortley interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: And the Hon. Mr Wortley.

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: —and my very good friends at the Myer food court that the Labour Force Single Touch Payroll figures have been released today to give us the latest up-to-date Labour Force data for the latest fortnight ending 13 March, so just over two weeks ago. I am sure all members in this chamber will be delighted to see that South Australia, in terms of growth in jobs numbers since the worst of the pandemic—let's put it that way—on 18 April last year, the low point in terms of jobs number to this most recent figure, 13 March, there has been 11.7 per cent growth in jobs in South Australia, the highest of all of the states and territories in the nation, only rivalled by Western Australia at 11.5, but other jurisdictions such as Victoria have 8.8 per cent and Tasmania 8.4 per cent.

For a number of months now, but certainly at least the last two or three months, South Australia's jobs growth from the trough of the pandemic in terms of job numbers in the middle of April through to the most recent figures showed the strongest jobs growth in South Australia of all the states in the nation. Even more pleasing, as I have indicated on previous occasions, are the figures in relation to employee wages, and that is the amount of dollars going into household budgets in terms of the total hours worked and therefore measured by the employee wages.

Again, as in last month, South Australia's figure there since the bottom of the pandemic on 18 April is the second strongest of all of the states, just behind Western Australia, which has the strongest wage growth numbers. South Australia's wage growth numbers at 10 per cent compare to New South Wales at just 6.6 per cent and Queensland at 7.6 per cent and Tasmania at 6.4 per cent.

South Australia's growth in employee wages, which is an important statistic and figure, is consistent with what many businesses are experiencing—not all businesses, because clearly those sectors still impacted by international travel bans, such as international education, aviation, the travel industry and therefore some parts of the tourism hospitality sector, remain impacted by international travel bans, but as we have seen the with easing of restrictions, and a further confirmation today by the Transition Committee of a further easing of restrictions today, it will indicate for most businesses in the state again a further easing of those restrictions and a capacity for those businesses to be able to compete much closer to the conditions that they were experiencing pre-COVID, just over 12 months ago.

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