Page 753 - Week 03 - Wednesday, 24 March 1993
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Madam Speaker, all Australians who are in a position to do something about stemming the tide of unemployment must take whatever action they can to do that. It is essential that we have a bipartisan approach on this in this Assembly. We all agree that the unemployment levels in the ACT are simply not good enough, particularly youth unemployment, and I cannot think of a more important matter on which all of us should put our heads together and see what can be done. It surely must cross all political bounds. Madam Speaker, I am not wanting to score cheap political points, but the ABS statistics for the December quarter 1992 give employment figures for the hotel-motel industry, which is part of our very much needed tourism industry. In 1992, 2,035 persons were employed, but in 1991, 2,159 persons were employed. That is a downsizing of 124 people. As I said, I am not quoting those figures to do point scoring, but just to illustrate the problem we are facing.
It surely has to be realised that some of the solutions may not sit ideologically well with the Government. I speak here, of course, of the abolition of payroll tax or some of the other costs that this Government could control. These are insidious taxes which weigh against the misery and destruction of the hope of our youth. The Labor Government prides itself on its social agenda; yet its greatest shortcoming is the record high levels of unemployment. Even the "You've got me" Prime Minister would recognise that this truly has to be the main item on the agenda for our nation. At least that is what he said before he said, "You've got me". It is highly likely that unemployment may have been relegated well down the list behind the stargazing, mesmerised obsession and distractions "You've got me" has with republicanism. One certainly hopes that this will not be the case, but time will tell.
Madam Speaker, what I would really like to see is the Labor Government showing a bipartisan approach to the matter of unemployment so that the Assembly could be seen to be united in tackling the problem. I think I was derided by the Chief Minister for asking the question about overtime. I can assure the Chief Minister that in private enterprise the limiting of overtime - you do not have to have a law; you just have to have a departmental instruction - has created jobs. If you have people working overtime for 20 or 30 hours a week and you take two or three of those people together, you have created another job. I seriously ask the Chief Minister to consider the possibility of looking into it, if nothing else. I think that this approach would give tremendous help to the people of Canberra. I do not think people in Canberra, particularly the unemployed, and even more particularly the youth unemployed, appreciate the cheap political cross-fire in this chamber on this subject.
Irrespective of the comments made by the Chief Minister or Mr Lamont yesterday that all we talk is gloom and doom, this is a serious matter and, quite frankly, nothing these honourable and well-meaning people can say of what they have done changes the fact that we have the worst youth unemployment situation in the country. Nothing can detract from this undeniable fact. If members of the Government want to say that this is gloomy, then it is like saying that the world is full of roses. Well, it is not.
Where the Government misreads us, and where it certainly misreads me, is that I take the positive stance when faced with difficulty. I am not a defeatist. I search very hard for the way to success, and this takes a very resolute and determined attitude of mind and body. Simply because I outline the difficulties we are facing, some members on the other side jump to their feet and declare that all we are is doom and gloom. Let me put the record straight once and for all.
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