Page 2625 - Week 10 - Wednesday, 14 October 1992
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need to be committed to improving the situation? What is the problem with establishing a forum where as many minds as possible attack the problem of a lack of jobs for young people, which can then produce many and various responses to the multitude of factors which keep young people out of employment?
Madam Speaker, the Government has been too insular and precious with its agenda for young, unemployed people. While it may well feel that it is doing as much as it can, how does it assess this? The Chief Minister has her Youth Affairs Section located in her department to liaise with; but other members of the ACT Legislative Assembly have access to other youth forums, parent groups and various organisations who can also generate ideas. Finally, Madam Speaker, I would like to remind members that an inquiry reference to a select committee, or the Social Policy Committee, would provide the forum in which to gather these ideas and would provide a range of outcomes to help create the jobs that our young people need and can fill.
MS ELLIS (3.53): Madam Speaker, I would like to congratulate Ms Szuty on her constructive contribution to this debate. I am wondering why she was not able to get this up as an MPI, rather than Mr De Domenico. I consider that her contribution has been incredibly constructive in contrast.
Today I would like to address two areas where I believe the Government has shown great initiative in tackling the problems of unemployment of women and youth. Before I do so, I would like to make some general comments.
Mr De Domenico: There is 56.1 per cent of youth unemployed.
MADAM SPEAKER: Order!
MS ELLIS: Before I do so, I would like to try to make some general comments. We have heard a lot from Mr De Domenico about the ACT's youth unemployment rate. However, Mr De Domenico has deliberately been mischievous in his use of the figures. He is well aware that the small sample size in the ACT makes monthly unemployment figures very volatile. A few months ago youth unemployment was at 11 per cent, but because of the volatility of the figures the Chief Minister did not then claim the credit for that low figure.
Mr De Domenico: Yes, she did.
MS ELLIS: She did not. Neither should this Government accept the blame for one month's statistical aberration. If Mr De Domenico was being honest he would look at the long-term trend in youth unemployment and acknowledge that in the ACT youth unemployment has constantly been well below the national average. In addition, I would suggest that Mr De Domenico more carefully read the Economic Priorities Advisory Committee's report on the ACT youth labour market. The report recognises two broad categories of youth unemployment - youth looking for full-time vocational jobs and youth looking for part-time vocational and non-vocational jobs.
The majority of youth seeking part-time employment are in further education and are seeking non-vocational employment for income supplementation. For these youth it is the availability of positions with flexible working hours in predominantly the retail, tourism and hospitality sectors which is critical.
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