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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 9 Hansard (7 September) . . Page.. 2989 ..

MS CARNELL: Comments that the ATO has grown and that that is the only reason the ACT is doing well are obviously rubbish. We have the lowest unemployment rate in Australia, the lowest since self-government, and the highest number of jobs.

How could this press release have happened? It is headed "ACT unemployment rate rising: Carnell sitting on her hands". Was this in 1996? It was in July, two months ago. Mr Berry, the Labor shadow spokesperson for employment spoke out to confirm a worrying trend in ACT employment rates. He went on in his press release to talk about GST and what a disaster that will be for Australia. He then said:

The budget contained a whole range of initiatives-the research and development fund, for which we have named some of the successful recipients, a reduction in payroll tax for small to medium businesses, an increase in apprenticeships and so on. If you can achieve the best unemployment rate in Australia, the highest growth rate in jobs in Australia, the best since before self-government, you are not sitting on their hands but showing a tremendous capacity. We have done what we were elected to do. At the last election, what were the reasons for employing-

MR SPEAKER: Order! Put those down or I will deal with you.

Mr Hargreaves: Mr Speaker, I take a point of order. Some time ago you brought the house to order and said that you were going to limit answers to questions to four minutes. The Chief Minister has been on her feet for six minutes. I have allowed her a 30 per cent leeway for interjections. I would ask you to ask the Chief Minister to wind up.

MR SPEAKER: I said I would try to limit them. I take the point. The four minutes is up, but I cannot enforce it.

MS CARNELL: Mr Speaker, I did too, so I will wind up. At the last election we stood on a platform of creating jobs. In fact, we suggested that the main reason for electing a Liberal government was to create jobs. Since the election in 1995, more than 16,000 new jobs have been created. Based on that T-shirt and this press release, the reasons for electing us-that is, jobs and Mr Berry-were right.

MR HIRD: I ask a supplementary question. How has the prediction of Mr Berry, known as the guru of doom and gloom in our economy, come to pass?

MS CARNELL: It obviously has not come to pass. We have more jobs-

MR SPEAKER: It is obviously not going to be answered, because it is not a question.

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