Mr MILLS - 2000-03-02
The Leader of the Opposition continues to maintain that there is no growth in the Territory’s work force. Members opposite don’t seem to want to acknowledge the almost daily stories we read about new businesses opening and jobs being created. Given Labor’s reluctance to recognise the growth in the NT economy, does the Treasurer have any additional information that may convince the opposition?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, at least the member for Blain recognises the wonderful achievement that, principally, the private sector has over the last few years achieved in contributing to the growth of the economy, and providing jobs for Territorians. And it is a wonderful story.
Mr Speaker, I ask the Leader of the Opposition to show you a bit more respect rather than reading a book with her back to you. She should pay a bit of attention to what’s happening in Question Time. But that clearly demonstrates to people listening the level of interest that the Leader of the Opposition has in her job, and also her statement of last week that she didn’t want to be a good Opposition Leader.
But, I digress. I will get to the question of employment figures in the Northern Territory, unlike the opposition yesterday, who very selectively quoted from some unnamed documents and were unable or unprepared to table the documents in support of their assertions. The opposition leader asserts that only 50 jobs are being created a year, and what an appalling result she considered that to be. Well, she cannot be allowed to reduce the respect for the private sector and the success that it has achieved in creating jobs, to her appalling level of performance. She might want to be an appalling performer, but she will not be able to brand the private sector, or the Territory generally, with a report card which is both dishonest and not factual.
For the benefit of members, I have some figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. These are not from the Northern Territory Government, not from Mike Reed the Treasurer, but from a completely independent source, the ABS, who measures unemployment and employment in every jurisdiction around the country on the same basis, so it is totally fair. Could an attendant pass this to the Leader of the Opposition so she might be able to read this. I don’t know that she will understand it, but I will give it to her so that she can follow it through, and she might be able to relate to the figures. It is, in fact, an employment record card for the Northern Territory for the past decade. I ask her to read it.
The employment record for 1989-99. In 1989 we had 78 300 people employed in the Northern Territory. The total employment in 1999, a decade later, was 94 300. That equals 16 000 jobs created between 1989-99. That equals 1600 jobs each year between 1989-99. 30.76 new jobs each week between 1989 and 1999. 4.39 new jobs each day between 1989 and 1999, and that equals 1 job every 5.4 hours. Every time 6 hours ticks over there’s another job in the Northern Territory.
I ask the Leader of the Opposition - while she’s having a little confab with some of the members opposite, and paying no attention at all to the statistics which she, of course, conveniently ignores - what would she be satisfied with? If she’s not happy with 1 job every 6 hours, would she be happy with 1 job every 5 hours, 4, 3, 2, 1 – a job every second. What does she expect, and why can’t she recognise that the private sector in the Northern Territory has principally achieved this result with Territorians, working cooperatively with the Northern Territory government?
Governments, I believe, are supposed to facilitate this sort of development. If she can’t be proud of it, if she can’t recognise what the results are, a job every 5.4 hours, and if she’s not content to recognise that, and not content to give the private sector the recognition and the thanks which they deserve for that wonderful result, then we can clearly understand why she’s sitting on the opposition benches.
I thank, on behalf of the government, the private sector. One job every 5.4 hours is a result that is commendable. We are the envy of the nation, and all the Labor party can do is try and sell down the Northern Territory, try and knock, knock, knock - that’s all she does. She’s trying to drag the Territory and the private sector down into the gutter where her appalling level of performance exist. We won’t wear it. We will stand up for the private sector, and we are very proud of 1 job every 6 hours, and as a government we’ll continue to work to achieve those ongoing results.
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, at least the member for Blain recognises the wonderful achievement that, principally, the private sector has over the last few years achieved in contributing to the growth of the economy, and providing jobs for Territorians. And it is a wonderful story.
Mr Speaker, I ask the Leader of the Opposition to show you a bit more respect rather than reading a book with her back to you. She should pay a bit of attention to what’s happening in Question Time. But that clearly demonstrates to people listening the level of interest that the Leader of the Opposition has in her job, and also her statement of last week that she didn’t want to be a good Opposition Leader.
But, I digress. I will get to the question of employment figures in the Northern Territory, unlike the opposition yesterday, who very selectively quoted from some unnamed documents and were unable or unprepared to table the documents in support of their assertions. The opposition leader asserts that only 50 jobs are being created a year, and what an appalling result she considered that to be. Well, she cannot be allowed to reduce the respect for the private sector and the success that it has achieved in creating jobs, to her appalling level of performance. She might want to be an appalling performer, but she will not be able to brand the private sector, or the Territory generally, with a report card which is both dishonest and not factual.
For the benefit of members, I have some figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. These are not from the Northern Territory Government, not from Mike Reed the Treasurer, but from a completely independent source, the ABS, who measures unemployment and employment in every jurisdiction around the country on the same basis, so it is totally fair. Could an attendant pass this to the Leader of the Opposition so she might be able to read this. I don’t know that she will understand it, but I will give it to her so that she can follow it through, and she might be able to relate to the figures. It is, in fact, an employment record card for the Northern Territory for the past decade. I ask her to read it.
The employment record for 1989-99. In 1989 we had 78 300 people employed in the Northern Territory. The total employment in 1999, a decade later, was 94 300. That equals 16 000 jobs created between 1989-99. That equals 1600 jobs each year between 1989-99. 30.76 new jobs each week between 1989 and 1999. 4.39 new jobs each day between 1989 and 1999, and that equals 1 job every 5.4 hours. Every time 6 hours ticks over there’s another job in the Northern Territory.
I ask the Leader of the Opposition - while she’s having a little confab with some of the members opposite, and paying no attention at all to the statistics which she, of course, conveniently ignores - what would she be satisfied with? If she’s not happy with 1 job every 6 hours, would she be happy with 1 job every 5 hours, 4, 3, 2, 1 – a job every second. What does she expect, and why can’t she recognise that the private sector in the Northern Territory has principally achieved this result with Territorians, working cooperatively with the Northern Territory government?
Governments, I believe, are supposed to facilitate this sort of development. If she can’t be proud of it, if she can’t recognise what the results are, a job every 5.4 hours, and if she’s not content to recognise that, and not content to give the private sector the recognition and the thanks which they deserve for that wonderful result, then we can clearly understand why she’s sitting on the opposition benches.
I thank, on behalf of the government, the private sector. One job every 5.4 hours is a result that is commendable. We are the envy of the nation, and all the Labor party can do is try and sell down the Northern Territory, try and knock, knock, knock - that’s all she does. She’s trying to drag the Territory and the private sector down into the gutter where her appalling level of performance exist. We won’t wear it. We will stand up for the private sector, and we are very proud of 1 job every 6 hours, and as a government we’ll continue to work to achieve those ongoing results.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016