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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 14 Hansard (10 December) . . Page.. 4605 ..

MRS CARNELL: Mr Speaker, I am very happy to answer that question. If Mr Moore would like to see the responses - - -

Mr Moore: I am pleased you asked them for their opinion.

MRS CARNELL: Mr Speaker, if Mr Moore wants to ask a supplementary question he has to accept that he just might get an answer.

MR SPEAKER: Proceed.

MRS CARNELL: The responses we got in the 1,200 questionnaires that came back from the focus groups, from prominent Canberrans from all walks of life, right from prominent sportspeople through to people who work in the media, people who work in the community sector, were very consistent. The consistency in all of them was that jobs and economic growth for the city were a country mile ahead of any other issue of concern to any of them now. That is the basis of the whole document. The document does not come - - -

Mr Moore: That is just your spin on it.

MRS CARNELL: The document is not on a basis of spin, as Mr Moore says. The document is based upon a number of things. It is based upon sustainability, it is based upon accessibility, livability, ensuring that we retain the things all of us care about in this city - the environment, the quality of life - in an environment of approximately one per cent growth. That is an enormous change in this city, an enormous affordability gap. Unless some of us are willing, and this Government is, to take this issue head-on, quite seriously, it will go from bad to worse, and we are not willing to let that happen.

MR HIRD: My question is to the Minister for Industrial Relations, Mr De Domenico. I noticed an article in the Canberra Times this morning reporting a 2.3 per cent increase in job advertisements in the ACT during the month of November. Is it the case that Canberra businesses are starting to feel confident about the future of the Territory under the Carnell Government, or should we continue to take heed of the doom and gloom merchants opposite?

MR DE DOMENICO: I thank Mr Hird for his question. I did see the article in this morning's Canberra Times. I also read at length the figures from the ANZ Bank survey. For the fourth month in a row, the number of job advertisements placed in the ACT has risen. The latest ANZ job advertisement series showed an increase of 2.3 per cent on the previous month - as Mr Hird suggested, a very positive and encouraging result. For those who can understand the figures, the latest ANZ job advertisement figures again confirm that much of the uncertainty associated with the Federal election and the Federal budget now seems to be over, or is starting to abate, and Canberra businesses are starting to feel confident about their future. This Assembly has passed a budget that is unashamedly jobs oriented, and it is already starting to bear fruit.

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