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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 8 Hansard (27 June) . . Page.. 2416 ..

MR BERRY (continuing):

We have a crisis of confidence in the business sector. That has been shown up in the job ad series. Business will not employ in the ACT. That is a phenomenon which developed with the emergence of Mrs Carnell, like defeats for the Raiders. We saw that decline in confidence in the business sector showing up in the job ad series. We also saw the phenomenon, coincidental with Mrs Carnell's arrival, of rising unemployment. Of course, at the end of 15 months or so of Mrs Carnell's reign in this place, if I can call it that, we have about 2,500 extra people on the unemployment lists. What a great achievement - 2,500. We have an unemployment rate approaching the national average for the first time since John Howard was last in government. (Extension of time granted) Add to that the impact of the Federal Government and you have a situation which our colleagues in the Greens should be very wary about. I have given this document to them. This is a document which talks about total job vacancies in the ACT. If this does not tell you that we are well into an accelerating crisis, nothing will. This is a disgraceful and frightening situation.

For the ACT the total job vacancies have fallen by 72 per cent in the period from February to May. Okay, we can say that that is a figure that is fairly erratic because of the small numbers involved, but it is still 72 per cent. It is a huge number, a frightening number. The annual change to May is a fall of 47 per cent. So from February to May, 72 per cent; and the annual drop is 47 per cent. Guess where? In the private sector, the sector that was going to save us. Well, it will not save us when we have those crises of confidence existing in - - -

Mr Whitecross: Who is the Minister in charge of business in the Government?

MR BERRY: Yes, that is right. We are dealing with a piece of legislation which again will strike at the heart of confidence in the business sector, and where is the Minister for Business?

Mr Whitecross: On a plane.

Mr Humphries: At a business meeting.

MR BERRY: On the big silver bird, winging it off northwards to the warmer climes. Come on now.

Let us have a look at the public sector. In the public sector in the period February to May we have had a drop in the ACT of 21.9 per cent, nearly 22 per cent. That is a massive fall.

MR SPEAKER: How relevant is this to the matter before the Chair?

MR BERRY: It is about the effect of the loss of 300 jobs on unemployment lists in the Territory.

MR SPEAKER: The Public Service.

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