Page 195 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 26 February 2014
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increased its share in the employment market by approximately two per cent in the last decade, and this activity is aimed at stimulating this sector. With the projected cuts to the APS and the resulting rise in unemployment caused by the federal government’s cuts this growth may not be sustainable and there will be less demand for housing construction. This will then leave many construction workers unemployed and directly affected by the attack on workers by the Liberal government.
These examples of growth that I have spoken of can be attributed to this ACT government’s ongoing commitment to growing the territory’s economy, creating employment and strengthening the jobs market. The ACT government will continue to facilitate employment as an employer but also as a stimulating force for the economy and economic growth. We will do our best to combat the effects of the cuts to the APS made by the Liberal government.
Another example of this growth in the ACT is in the professional, scientific and technical sectors of our economy. Through government investment in education, research and technology, ABS stats show that this sector has grown over the last several years and thousands of jobs have been created during this period. This now gives the sector some 10 per cent of the territory employment market.
This growth is greatly added to by the ACT government’s commitment to investment in technology to reduce our carbon footprint on the environment through our climate change strategy and action plan. Not only is this plan beneficial to the environment and the future of the territory but also to the present job market as it creates opportunities for training and employment in this up and coming sector which requires high levels of research and expertise.
If we need an example of an industry which will be affected by federal government cuts we need look no further. The fact that the federal government no longer has a minister for science gives light to the lack of interest in this sector from the Abbott government. Not only have we already seen cuts to jobs at CSIRO there is now talk of removing the renewable energy target.
Let us just think about the opportunities the renewable energy target has provided over the last few years. A recent report from Clean Energy Council states that in 2012 renewable energy targets contributed to $244 billion of expenditure through 137 countries into the global economy creating massive amounts of jobs through the investment in a clean energy future. Madam Assistant Speaker, I assure you that this ACT government is committed to the advancement of science and technology in the ACT, to the employees of this sector and to creating employment opportunities through the climate change strategy and action plan.
The various efforts across the board by the ACT government have resulted in the lowest unemployment rate for any state and territory in Australia. The unemployment rate dropped from 3.9 per cent in December to 3.8 per cent in January, and we are committed to maintaining these figures in the face of federal government cuts and their effects on the workers in the ACT.
I want to take some time to congratulate the efforts of our union colleges across our workforce, because none of the opportunities we see in the workplace would have
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