Page 1349 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 12 May 1993
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Economy
MR LAMONT: My question is also directed to the Chief Minister. Can the Chief Minister please advise the Assembly on the performance of the ACT in the recent Australian Bureau of Statistics survey on State accounts?
MS FOLLETT: Madam Speaker, I thank Mr Lamont for the question. I am very pleased to be able to advise the Assembly on this matter. The new State accounts publication was released by the Bureau of Statistics only on Friday of last week. It does provide us with some detailed quarterly information on economic performance. That information confirms that the ACT economy has performed strongly and well above the national trend.
According to the figures in the State accounts publication, the gross State product in the ACT actually increased by 6.9 per cent during 1991-92, and that compares to a figure of 1.9 per cent nationally. So it was a very good result. It was, in fact, the highest growth rate in GSP of any State or Territory in that period. For the year ended December 1992 the ACT's GSP increased by 5.6 per cent. That was the second highest, in fact behind only Queensland, so the overall level of economic production in the ACT is now very close to that of Tasmania. The ACT also recorded the highest growth in gross operating surplus in 1992. That reflects the improved profitability in most sectors of the local economy, but particularly in the construction industry. Madam Speaker, the gross State product figures do verify evidence from a range of sources and across a range of recent indicators which show the increased economic activity in the ACT.
I would like to point also to yesterday's retail trade statistics, also produced by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, which showed that the annual trend growth rate for retail turnover in the ACT was 7.1 per cent, and that compared to a figure of 2.6 per cent nationally. On those figures we were, in fact, again the second highest State or Territory, behind only Western Australia. I think that the strength of consumer demand and, as shown in the statistics, the strength of business investment that was evident in 1991-92 certainly has continued in recent quarters. The ACT's economy is currently amongst the healthiest in this country and that, of course, I think most significantly of all, has resulted in strong employment growth in the ACT, the actual creation of new jobs.
Government Service - Overtime and Redundancy Payments
MR DE DOMENICO: Madam Speaker, my question without notice is to the Chief Minister. I refer the Chief Minister to a question that I asked yesterday about allegations about redundancy payments in her department. I also quote, for the Chief Minister's interest, from the manual of her own Investigations Unit dated 18 January 1993, which says:
A Memorandum of Understanding has been entered into with the Australian Federal Police to ensure that the respective statutory obligations are met. Important, major and sensitive matters are referred to the police for investigation.
Has there been any contact between your department, its staff and the Australian Federal Police?
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