Page 1838 - Week 06 - Thursday, 9 May 2013

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Bill agreed to in principle.

Leave granted to dispense with the detail stage.

Question put:

That this bill be agreed to.

The Assembly voted—

Ayes 9		Noes 8
Mr Barr	Ms Gallagher	Mr Coe	Mr Seselja
Ms Berry	Mr Gentleman	Mr Doszpot	Mr Smyth
Dr Bourke	Ms Porter	Mrs Dunne	Mr Wall
Ms Burch	Mr Rattenbury	Mr Hanson
Mr Corbell		Mrs Jones

Question so resolved in the affirmative.

Bill agreed to.

Sitting suspended from 12.16 to 2.30 pm.

Questions without notice

Economy—employment

MR HANSON: My question is to the Treasurer. Treasurer, yesterday you bragged in the chamber about the levels of employment in the ACT. You said:

So we would not be achieving full-time record levels of employment if there was some massive slashing of public sector employment going on …

You then went on to say that we had solid growth, low unemployment, strong investment and strong public finances. Yesterday the Canberra Times reported on the loss of nearly 3,000 public service jobs in the six months to December last year. Today the Canberra Times reports:

New figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show there are now more than 10,000 Canberrans actively looking for work—the first time it has cracked that mark since mid-2001.

Given that revenue is down, deficits are up and the territory’s unemployment rate is increasing, did you mislead the Assembly yesterday?

MR BARR: I thank the Leader of the Opposition for the question. I can advise the Assembly that the number of ACT residents in employment increased by 200 in April 2013 to 209,400 which, according to the data series of the ABS, is an all-time record level of employment within the Australian Capital Territory. So far from a picture that

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