Page 263 - Week 02 - Tuesday, 12 May 1992
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In a later section, she said:
... our election policy outlined a range of other initiatives to promote balanced economic growth ... and to improve access to employment for all Canberra residents.
Most importantly, she said:
The Government will also pay special attention to the needs of youth, most importantly by seeking to create jobs. The preparation of a youth budget paper will focus attention on the way in which government programs affect young people, and we will examine youth programs to close gaps and improve outcomes.
Madam Speaker, I applaud these sentiments but would argue quite forcefully that the time for action is now, as well as at budget time. It is now that we have an official youth unemployment rate of 25 per cent, and I might add that the ACT Council of Social Service estimates that the hidden unemployment level may be twice that figure. A creative and multifaceted approach needs to be arrived at quickly.
Both the Labor and Liberal parties went into the February election championing the cause of youth employment. In launching the Labor Party platform for the election, the Chief Minister said of the party's employment and economic development policy:
No policy can be more important to our future than this.
Although the launch contained no specific mention of youth unemployment, the youth policy put forward for the election declared that Labor believes that young people have a right to participate in the life of their community and to be consulted on issues that affect them. A goal of the Labor Party on gaining office was to create another 100 training positions of six months' duration, to provide the personal and social benefits which come from work and training. But this is only a temporary relief, and 100 is less than one-tenth of the number who need jobs.
The Liberal Party was more glowing in its terms, calling the youth of Canberra an asset for the Territory's future. It also identified youth unemployment as one of the most serious concerns facing the ACT. Research conducted by the Independents Group before the election confirms this view, with 90 to 95 per cent of respondents identifying it as the major problem for those in government. The Liberals were quite emphatic in their determination, as they went to the polls, to address the issue, saying that an ACT Liberal administration would act, as a matter of priority, to reduce youth unemployment. The policy went on to state that the Liberals would do this by working to basically dismantle wage structures, to allow employers more flexibility, overhauling adult-to-junior ratios, reforming industrial relations and reviewing the apprenticeship system. These issues need to be addressed.
In the platform on which I stood for election, we identified employment as a vital part of the economic management of the ACT. We feel that the most effective way to ensure full employment is through stable, productive business, and security for business through a long-term planning strategy. We also feel that short-term additional employment in the ACT public sector has its place but should be seen as a temporary measure, fitting into the long-term vision.
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