Page 147 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 26 February 2014
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The ACT government, through its annual budget, supports a range of initiatives which contribute to the economic activity of the ACT economy. The last ACT budget allocated $1.7 billion for capital works in the territory. This is funding the new facilities such as roads, schools and health infrastructure that our community needs. It is not only creating thousands of construction jobs but also bringing health and education jobs into the suburbs as new schools and health centres are built. This spending has helped maintain employment and economic activity in the face of the commonwealth’s contraction.
In the last budget we cut payroll tax. The ACT now has the most competitive taxation regime for small and medium sized businesses. Due to the cut to payroll tax, the ACT has the highest payroll tax threshold in the nation and is the lowest taxing jurisdiction for businesses with a payroll of up to $4.7 million. Importantly, businesses can now employ more people before paying tax.
Our business development strategy, “growth, diversification and jobs”, is helping the private sector to create jobs by providing targeted support, programs and funding to local businesses. The 2012-13 budget included $20 million for innovative programs to further boost our private sector. Initiatives include supporting early stage business innovation, building new funding for clean technology and sustainability oriented companies and creating a program to act as a single portal for trade development activities. In addition, we are making it easier for business to move through the processes to set up or expand their operations here. All these initiatives will support the ACT private sector and help it to grow and create jobs.
The government’s vision for Canberra is that of a vibrant and liveable city. We will continue to grow and change to meet the challenges and opportunities of the future to become Australia’s most liveable city. Given the pronouncements by the federal government of a contracting Australian public service, we are facing a major challenge. But, as we saw in 1996, a lot of opportunities presented themselves as well. Canberra is well placed to again take advantage of these opportunities, but paramount is the need to protect jobs in the ACT. I commend the motion to the Assembly.
MS GALLAGHER (Molonglo—Chief Minister, Minister for Regional Development, Minister for Health and Minister for Higher Education) (11.11): I thank Ms Berry for moving the motion today—it is an important motion—and for detailing for us a picture of employment in the ACT. She is very right to emphasise that there is nothing more important to self-efficiency, self-esteem, mental and physical health and family stability than staying in work. She also illustrated the government’s fundamental commitment to protect and create jobs in our economy. As Chief Minister, this priority is a constant in my leadership of the government and, as this motion illustrates, it is also at the heart of the policies across government portfolios.
The resilience the ACT has shown so far in the face of contracting federal spending is something that we should be proud of. We have arrived at this challenge with better fundamentals than we had in 1996 and, so far, our economy remains in good health: employment at a record 213,300 jobs—keeping unemployment the lowest in Australia—low interest rates, steady economic growth, a strong budgetary position with a AAA credit rating, and an ongoing economic reform program underway which is widely supported by our business community.
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