Page 201 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 26 February 2014
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As Mr Barr said, what is needed is farsighted and responsible assistance and guidance from government to help the private sector to grow and create jobs and, in particular, the knowledge-based jobs that are increasingly important in our economy. The other side, the opposition, want government to walk away from its responsibilities. They do not want anyone to work together.
Mr Rattenbury talked about the importance of involving unions in our conversations on how to strengthen our economy. Thousands of workers across the ACT are members of their relevant union and many of them are about to lose their jobs. They absolutely should be involved in these conversations. They absolutely should be involved in discussing how to create new economic opportunities and new employment opportunities.
Ms Burch referred to the 2012 ACT year 12 graduates: Where are they now? report, where 93 per cent of 2012 year 12 graduates were employed or studying in 2013. The ACT has the highest rate of retention from year 7 through to year 12, at 89.8 per cent in 2012. This was well above the rate for the nation, at 79.9 per cent. Not only are more students staying at school through to year 12 in the ACT but also more and more are receiving their year 12 qualification than anywhere else in the country.
In 2012, the proportion of 20 to 24-year-olds in the ACT with a year 12 qualification was 91 per cent—again, much higher than the national rate of 85 per cent. In 2013, over 3,300 work experience placements were coordinated for students. The ACT is the only jurisdiction to exceed the COAG target of a national attainment rate of 90 per cent for 20 to 24-year-olds with a year 12 equivalent certificate or certificate II.
Ms Porter talked about the flow-on job losses mean across the ACT, and not just the public sector. Not once did we hear any concern from across the chamber about what effects these would have on people in the ACT.
My motion reflects the work the ACT government is already doing and will continue to do. I am concerned to note that Mr Hanson, in his amendment, does not want to be part of the conversation. He does not want to work with business, unions and the community. He talked about having a strong and vibrant business sector, but he is not the one that wants to reach out to his mates up at the federal government and ask them for a helping hand under what could be some very challenging circumstances for the ACT. It is the ACT government that has a plan, not those on the other side of the chamber.
Those nasty Liberals—if I can quote Mr Hanson—want to pit business against government and business against workers. That is not how you run a successful economy and achieve a thriving society. You do it by encouraging everybody to work together, to work in partnership. To be clear, you do not get to have a successful economy and achieve a thriving society without working together. We do this by encouraging everybody to work together in partnership—government, workers and businesses all on the same page. I do not support the amendment and I commend the motion to the Assembly.
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