Page 740 - Week 03 - Wednesday, 24 March 1993
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
MRS CARNELL: Most of the letters are copies of the ones that were sent to you or to Mr Connolly, Mr Berry. They have gone to you already. The fact of the matter is that the human rights of a reasonably large group of Canberrans are being ignored at this time, and I urge the Government to act.
Amendment agreed to.
Motion, as amended, agreed to.
Sitting suspended from 12.18 to 2.30 pm
QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE
Unemployment
MR KAINE: I direct a question to the Chief Minister. Chief Minister, it is normally the case that by March the seasonal rise in unemployment in the ACT as a result of school leavers entering the market over the holiday season begins to decline. There is no evidence that this year this will occur. What do you intend to do to reduce the unemployment situation worsening in the June quarter?
MS FOLLETT: Madam Speaker, we will of course be addressing this issue in considerable detail during discussion of the matter of public importance this afternoon, but I do not know that Mr Kaine is completely correct in saying that by March the seasonal figures are beginning to wash out. It has, in fact, been the case that there have been some rises later in the year in previous years. Nevertheless, Madam Speaker, I can tell members that, as far as unemployment goes, we are about in the same position this year as we were at the same time last year, and that during that period we have seen enormous growth in our participation rate in the work force in the ACT and, as I have informed members previously, growth in our employment figures. Nearly 8,000 additional jobs were created in the ACT to February of this year, so we have seen people taking up those positions.
As far as government activity goes, members will know that we have a continuing range of programs that are designed to address unemployment in our community, and I will go through those on the matter of public importance rather than take up question time with them. I should say that it is a matter that we do have under constant review. In successive budgets we have funded additional programs, additional initiatives, aimed at assisting to beat the blight of unemployment. It is a blight; I make no bones about that. In the current round of budget discussions and budget priorities we will again be looking at the unemployment issue and at whether there are additional measures that we as an ACT government can take to assist with getting people into work.
Madam Speaker, I am sure that members are aware also that the ACT does not play a solo hand on the question of unemployment. This is a national issue and, indeed, an international issue. In terms of the macro-economic variables, it is entirely beyond the control of the ACT to affect those bigger issues. To an extent, we are reliant on the recovery nationally from the recession. That same situation goes for all States and Territories.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .