Page 4055 - Week 13 - Wednesday, 26 November 2014
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(b) work closely with the business and construction sector to maximise local jobs opportunities;
(c) ensure that the strategic reforms underway across the ACTPS enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of government services; and
(d) make strong representation to the federal Government to resist any attempts to make further direct funding cuts to the Territory or to transfer Commonwealth public sector jobs from the ACT.
I am pleased to bring this motion to the Assembly today in relation to maintaining a strong economy in the ACT. It gives the Assembly the opportunity to discuss what we as elected members are doing to ensure the strength of the ACT economy is maintained and what long-term planning is necessary for economic growth that benefits the lives and futures of every citizen in the ACT. It also gives me the opportunity to detail how this government, even when the commonwealth turns its back on the ACT, has turned Australia’s most livable city into the world’s most livable city, as demonstrated by recent reports by the Property Council and the OECD. One does not get to earn the title of the most livable city by narrow conservative values that shrink the economy or threaten jobs.It is the duty of every elected member in this place to protect jobs and to maintain confidence in the ACT economy and not to talk it down. As we all know, this includes those opposite. The ACT and surrounding regions are faced with a very challenging period as a direct result of the commonwealth’s poorly thought-out budget cuts and other decisions surrounding federal government departments. The ACT was hit twice this year, experiencing not only the continued cuts to the Australian public service but also the dramatic fall in payments that will hurt ACT individuals and families. Both of these hits to our economy are out of the ACT government’s control.
We have already seen the impacts these cuts have had on the ACT. Let me take this opportunity to go through some of the unfortunate facts and figures that illustrate the damage the commonwealth has caused to our great city. Unemployment figures show that in September 2013 the ACT had the lowest jobless rate in Australia at 4.3 per cent, and that has now risen to 5.4 per cent, our highest rate since 2001. The retail figures show that the ACT had the third best retail trade in September 2013 but is now equal to the lowest, with 1.7 per cent. Residential building approvals figures represent a decrease of 11.2 per cent from our September 2013 figure of 1.9 per cent, compared to an Australia-wide increase of 15.3 per cent. In September 2013 the ACT economy was amongst the strongest nationally, and this government will continue to support job growth and economic growth even when we are dealt with so poorly by the commonwealth government.
This government is the right government for this job. It is a government with vision that seizes and creates opportunities. This government will not pursue policies that have been shown to fail, policies which will destroy the very fabric of our society. We know if we cut spending, as the opposition suggests, we would compound the pain of the commonwealth cuts and deny our community the services it deserves and expects. People are not figures on a balance sheet to be moved around at will to assist the agenda of a federal government which wants to balance its budget.
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