Page 4015 - Week 13 - Tuesday, 17 November 2015
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MR BARR: They are very excited today, aren’t they, and it is good to see. Jobs are at the centre of what this government is about. Every day, every member of my government is focused on creating jobs for Canberrans. Jobs are not just about numbers in a spreadsheet, job numbers in the ABS statistics. They are more than just a source of income. Jobs are an inclusive force in our community, binding members of our community together. They are a force that provides self-esteem. They help us aspire higher and meet those higher aspirations.
Canberra has a well-earned title as the world’s most livable city. That would not be possible were it not for our strong track record of creating jobs. It is our collective success as an economic community in creating jobs for individuals that drives the incomes that maintain our high standard of living that we all enjoy and that our loved ones enjoy.
Jobs give government the resources to deliver the services that our community values and our community demands, whether that is maintaining our exceptional urban and natural environments or supporting every Canberran to make a meaningful contribution to their community regardless of their circumstances.
The government has a successful strategy to support jobs growth, built on creating the right business environment, accelerating business innovation and supporting new business investment. Creating the right business environment is what allows local businesses to seize new opportunities when they arrive. As we are working through a number of reform processes to streamline our city’s regulatory framework and our taxation framework, we are ensuring that we are creating the right environment for job creation. We created Access Canberra to make it simpler and easier to do business in Canberra.
We want to ensure that Canberra is a city that generates innovation, and this is our core business. Harnessing innovation into business growth will guarantee that future generations will continue to enjoy the livability and prosperity that our city has offered. We continue to invest in accelerating business investment, and we are now a national entrepreneurship leader, with innovations like the Canberra innovation network that are becoming national models for others to learn from.
We are a young city and a relatively small one. We need to continue to look beyond our borders for new investment and opportunity. That is why the government has been so active in leading trade delegations to China, Singapore, Hong Kong, the United States and Japan to support Canberra businesses to enter into new markets and to ensure that new investment opportunities are realised.
It is interesting that those opposite carp and criticise but have had nothing positive to contribute to this city’s jobs growth. Their party is the party that cuts jobs—the party that cuts jobs in this city.
MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Ms Fitzharris.
Opposition members interjecting—
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