Page 1688 - Week 08 - Thursday, 28 September 1989
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leading the private sector. The right economic environment has to be created to encourage the business community with an overall business strategy - something this budget has clearly not done.
Mr Speaker, may I turn to another area - employment. The latest ACT Treasury report indicates that the employment situation in the ACT is worsening; our employment growth is lower than the national average; and we have slipped from having the lowest unemployment rate in Australia to being behind Victoria and Northern Territory. The ACT has a higher unemployment rate for teenagers than the national average, and the length of time people stay unemployed has increased dramatically over the year. This compares to virtually no change for the Australian average.
What can we do, then, to improve the outlook for employment in the ACT? The Labor Government has acknowledged that encouraging the private sector is the only means of substantially increasing employment. This Government is, in fact, lowering the level of opportunity by markedly increasing taxes and fees on the business sector. As I have already mentioned, and I might say it again, it is the private sector that is meant to provide the employment.
The Chief Minister, in her budget speech, mentioned that teenage employment is above the national average and the challenge to the ACT Government is to provide expanding employment opportunities for youth. But what have they done to really create job opportunities for our youth? The only initiative that is aimed at reducing youth unemployment is directed to long-term unemployed. There is nothing for job-seeking youth in general. This raises the question as to whether the Labor Government will create solid, long-lasting employment for our youth.
The budget includes a vast number of new capital works programs involving roads and parking areas. As we heard earlier from Mrs Grassby, there are some good initiatives in the Tuggeranong area, an area where there are over 62,000 people and the fastest growing area in the ACT. There need to be many initiatives taken in this particular area. But I must say that this is to be expected in a still growing city.
Some $49m will be spent on capital works for transport in 1989-90 and around $10m for public transport. Most significant in respect of public transport will be the expansion of ACTION services in terms of new routes in the Tuggeranong Valley and increased commuter services. However, can the ACT support ACTION and its losses? A complete review of ACTION should be undertaken as a high priority. There is no mention made in the budget of reassessing ACTION.
Mr Speaker, the Labor Government's budget has not included matters which are essential to making the ACT better. Labor has included initiatives in the area of transport,
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