Page 630 - Week 02 - Thursday, 21 February 1991
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The ACT Alliance Government is developing a youth employment strategy in response to these recommendations. Priorities within the strategy are being considered by the Ministerial Advisory Council on Employment which will report to the Minister responsible for Employment by the end of June 1990.
I would ask, Mr Speaker: Where is Mr Collaery's strategy? All we have is more rhetoric, and no action. We often hear Mr Collaery talking about the provision of additional welfare services to the youth sector; and that is an objective that I certainly would not criticise him for. But when do we hear him talking about treating the causes as well as the symptoms?
Mr Speaker, we have had Mr Kaine's ACT economic development discussion paper, which predicted, in a roundabout way, an increase in youth unemployment. It proposed no action to deal with that prediction, other than its general action plan for economic development. But, of course, there has been no action on that plan; it is just more rhetoric from Mr Kaine.
Most disturbing of all, Mr Speaker, has been the arrogant way in which the Chief Minister has recently dismissed any suggestion that 36 per cent youth unemployment poses a problem. Instead, he continually claims that it is just a seasonal fluctuation and that the ACT economy is performing better than the Australian economy as a whole. I would ask - Mr Speaker, through you: Can you imagine, Mr Kaine, what calling those unemployed people "just a seasonal fluctuation" must make them feel like? It is an arrogant, heartless and, of course, Liberal approach to unemployment. It is the same approach that we have seen from Mr Kaine on ACT bankruptcy, in fact.
Even when it is confronted with opportunities to improve our economic climate and to create jobs, this Alliance Government's inability to make any decisions always comes to the fore - its inability to make a decision on section 19; its inability to act after a commitment six months ago on commercial tenancies; the procrastination over bidding for the Masters Games; the closure of the Tourism Commission shopfront at Jolimont as a result of lack of funds; and the total mess in planning and development approvals. Economic development under this Government, Mr Speaker, is a very sorry tale. What this Territory needs is a new approach to job creation and youth unemployment. We need an approach based on the principles of social justice and equal opportunities; an approach designed to provide jobs in a safe, satisfying and fairly paid environment for everyone who wants to work.
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