Page 642 - Week 02 - Thursday, 21 February 1991
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implementation of an employment strategy for the ACT. The ACT Government also recognises the importance for the ACT region of providing employment, including youth employment, and has joined with the New South Wales Government in formulating an economic development strategy for the ACT and the surrounding region of New South Wales.
Close analysis confirms, therefore, that the ACT is faring better than any other State or Territory. The regrettably high seasonal peak in ACT youth unemployment this year has been brought on by the Federal Government's economic policy. The Alliance Government's responsible fiscal policies, industry promotion and training programs are creating the right climate to ensure that the underlying rate of job growth is maintained.
MR STEVENSON (4.56): It is important that people who want to work can work. The Government's responsibility in this area is not to create jobs; that is the responsibility of business. It is their business, not government business.
Mr Duby: That is rubbish, Dennis.
MR STEVENSON: You have worked too long for the Public Service, Mr Duby. Business is there - - -
Mr Moore: Suffering.
MR STEVENSON: Business is suffering, as Mr Moore says. Business is perfectly capable of creating far more jobs than the Government could ever dream of, provided that the major stumbling block in that area is removed - government impositions. The reason why business cannot employ people in the ACT and every other place in Australia, or anywhere in the world at any time, is that we are under a system that requires business people and others to work for the first half of the year, at least, just to pay government. After that time you have a situation where people actually start working for themselves. It is an incredible situation.
And why does government grab all this money? Government says, "We know best how to spend your hard-earned money. We will take it from you, and spend it for you". What an absolute nonsense. The argument that that needs to be done falls down in so many different ways. One of them is obviously that the government needs the money to spend, or it will not be spent. That is an absurdity. Business will spend, people will spend their own money, if they do not have to give it to the government. Every dollar that the government grabs is a dollar that business cannot invest.
Mr Duby: They will spend it on roads and hospitals and things like that, will they, Dennis?
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