Page 2620 - Week 10 - Wednesday, 14 October 1992
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Madam Speaker, the Government's economic development strategy is focused on real jobs and real training. It is a comprehensive and carefully targeted strategy which comprises direct funding of job creation through training and work experience, increased capital works, and support for the private sector to promote the growth of local industry. Through these measures, Madam Speaker, the ACT will be well placed to take advantage of emerging opportunities as the country moves further out of recession.
Madam Speaker, I put that approach in stark contrast to the Liberals' approach to employment in the ACT. I have no doubt whatsoever that under a future Liberal Federal government, which is a remote possibility, the ACT would deliberately be turned into a ghost town. We know, Madam Speaker, that it is the stated objective of Dr Hewson and his colleagues to move entire areas of employment out of the ACT. Members opposite, of course, would give a knee-jerk tick of approval to that; but they recognise, as all of us do, that the private sector and the public sector in the ACT are interrelated and must work in cooperation. If you removed large numbers of public sector jobs from the ACT as proposed by Dr Hewson, and I presume supported by members opposite, the private sector would suffer at least as much. The ACT would be a ghost town.
Mr De Domenico also failed to mention Mr Kaine's agenda, which he had a chance to implement in government. To do him credit, he did not implement it. That was to reduce the ACT Government Service by some 3,000 jobs. Madam Speaker, at a time when Mr Kaine was in government unemployment was an issue in the ACT, yet he had as a policy that he would reduce the public sector employment by that many jobs. It was his stated objective, Madam Speaker. I think members opposite are not serious about this issue. They are wishing to pose and posture about it; but, in fact, we have had nothing of substance from Mr De Domenico. We have, in fact, a very good government record on this, and that is what is irking the members opposite.
MR KAINE (Leader of the Opposition) (3.36): Madam Speaker, this is indeed a matter of public importance and it is a subject that needs to be aired fully. In the budget speech delivered only a month ago the Chief Minister asserted bravely that there is a growing economy in the ACT and that unemployment is starting to fall. Only a month ago the Chief Minister said that. She claimed that there are areas of strong growth in our economy, although she was very non-specific about where they were to be found. Since that time, of course, and following Mr Keating's expansive claims that the recession is over, the Chief Minister has continued to be very bullish about the ACT economy. Even today she said, "The ACT economy is accelerating". Sadly, she did not tell us in which direction. As any teenager looking for a job or struggling to stay alive on the streets will tell you, the recession is far from over, and it is certainly far from over here in the ACT.
Economic indicators all indicate a flat economy for the rest of this financial year at least. Nationally, sales of manufactured goods have marginally increased for the first time since March 1990, but at the same time stocks have continued to fall and they are now at levels below those of 1988. Motor vehicle registrations are flat. Expectations of private new capital investment have not changed substantially since December of last year, remaining at about $5.5 billion seasonally adjusted. Retail turnover trend estimates remain stagnant, with monthly changes in 1991-92 nationally of less than 0.5 per cent. Not surprisingly, Madam Speaker, household
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