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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1999 Week 8 Hansard (24 August) . . Page.. 2278 ..

MR HIRD: I have a supplementary question. I have been forced to my feet because I think I heard the Chief Minister mention a press release. Is that the press release in which Mr Berry claimed that trends towards part-time work in the Territory were, to quote him, "insecure employment and disturbing"? Can you advise the parliament of exactly how many people are working part-time in the Territory and whether this trend is happening only in the ACT?

MS CARNELL: Mr Berry - I just heard Mr Stanhope as well - has been out on this issue for several months now and it is important that in this place we deal with his claims comprehensively. To do that I would like to quote some figures from the Bureau of Statistics. In 1990-91 the proportion of part-time workers in the ACT labour force was 19.3 per cent. That was roughly the time that Mr Berry came to government. But guess what, Mr Speaker? When those opposite left office in March 1995 the proportion of part-time workers in the ACT labour force was 24.9 per cent. So it went up from 19.3 per cent to 24.9 per cent while Mr Berry was in the job of industrial relations.

Now, nearly 4 1/2 years later, the proportion of part-time people in our work force is 26.6 per cent, which represents only a fairly slight increase since we came to government. For Mr Berry, it went up from 19.3 per cent to 24.9 per cent; for us, it went up to 26.6 per cent over 4 1/2 years. To put it simply, Mr Speaker, this trend has not only been happening when we are in office, but it also happened to a much greater and faster extent when the Labor Party were in office. So there goes that argument.

Let us look at what is happening nationally as well. In March 1995 the proportion of part-time workers in Australia was 24.6 per cent. Today it is 26.1 per cent. Funnily enough, Mr Speaker, that is almost identical with the figure for the ACT. In other words, we are no different from what is happening in the rest of the country.

Mr Berry seems to be the only person on earth who has not realised that the work force has changed; that we have moved, not just in Australia but right around the world, to more flexible employment arrangements which do include part-time work. It is true that the nature of work is changing, and so are the requirements of many of our work force. Many people want to work part-time, and more and more businesses are offering arrangements that not only suit their work force and their operations but also suit those people in their work force, their workers, particularly those that operate outside the normal nine-to-five constraints. This point was made, I think very effectively, last week in an interview on ABC radio by Graham Matthews from Access Economics, and I would be happy to provide those opposite with a transcript of the interview if they would be at all interested. But, Mr Speaker, I am sure they are not because they are never interested in facts.

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