Mr WOOD - 2013-11-28
In the House of Representatives on 18 November, Mr Nikolic, the member for Bass, asked how the government will support unemployed job seekers and employers in his electorate of Bass in Tasmania. The Assistant Minister for Employment replied:
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Nelson for his question. In relation to attracting skilled workers to the Territory and how we deal with Territorians, it is our intention to get as many Territorians as possible working on Territory projects first. We know the Territory economy is set to boom. This year it is growing at 5% and next year it will be growing at 7%. We will have the strongest economic growth in the nation next year. That is, in large part, thanks to the great work the Chief Minister and other ministers of this government have been doing.
We recognise the need to get skilled workers into our workforce in the Northern Territory. First and foremost, we want to see Territorians reaping the rewards of this economic growth. In that regard, the department is pouring enormous amounts of money into training Territorians in a range of skill shortage areas. Similarly, my friend and colleague, the Minister for Education, is pouring enormous resources into making sure children in the Northern Territory get the best education that will set them up for a job in the Northern Territory, first and foremost. We are also putting enormous amounts of effort into skilling up businesses to make sure it is Territory businesses that are first and foremost to get this work …
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. It is about what you are doing to get the federal incentive packages to the Territory. Unemployment is rising under your watch – 7500 Territorians …
Madam SPEAKER: Opposition Leader, sit down! It is not a point of order. You are on a warning!
Mr TOLLNER: Madam Speaker, the opposition knows that is a load of malarkey. We have the strongest employment growth in the nation. All of the economic indicators – every Premier and leader in Australia would give their eye teeth to be in the position our Chief Minister is in. He is doing a fantastic job of driving employment growth in the Northern Territory to the point where we have more jobs than there are Territorians to do them. We are 100% committed to making sure Territorians are the first to reap the rewards ...
Mr WOOD: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113 says an answer shall be succinct, concise and directly relevant to the question. The question was: we have many unemployed people in remote parts of the Territory. Is your government asking the federal government for the same plan as Tasmania? Forty seconds, minister, please answer that.
Mr TOLLNER: If these stupid interjections, where the Leader of the Opposition jumps in and makes some nefarious comment about how the sky is falling in and the Territory is about to be ruined, would stop – I was just getting to the point of answering the question and you jumped up with a silly interjection.
We are doing everything possible to get Territorians into work first. When it comes to federal government assistance packages, we want the federal government to get those unemployed people around Australia into the Northern Territory. I am interested in dragging Tasmanians here to work in the Northern Territory.
- … we have a jobs plan for Tasmania to assist businesses to employ people – a plan to provide $3250 to assist Tasmanian business to employ people unemployed Tasmanians and unemployed eligible job seekers.
…
We have got a relocation assistance plan to assist job seekers to move to where the jobs are …
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Nelson for his question. In relation to attracting skilled workers to the Territory and how we deal with Territorians, it is our intention to get as many Territorians as possible working on Territory projects first. We know the Territory economy is set to boom. This year it is growing at 5% and next year it will be growing at 7%. We will have the strongest economic growth in the nation next year. That is, in large part, thanks to the great work the Chief Minister and other ministers of this government have been doing.
We recognise the need to get skilled workers into our workforce in the Northern Territory. First and foremost, we want to see Territorians reaping the rewards of this economic growth. In that regard, the department is pouring enormous amounts of money into training Territorians in a range of skill shortage areas. Similarly, my friend and colleague, the Minister for Education, is pouring enormous resources into making sure children in the Northern Territory get the best education that will set them up for a job in the Northern Territory, first and foremost. We are also putting enormous amounts of effort into skilling up businesses to make sure it is Territory businesses that are first and foremost to get this work …
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. It is about what you are doing to get the federal incentive packages to the Territory. Unemployment is rising under your watch – 7500 Territorians …
Madam SPEAKER: Opposition Leader, sit down! It is not a point of order. You are on a warning!
Mr TOLLNER: Madam Speaker, the opposition knows that is a load of malarkey. We have the strongest employment growth in the nation. All of the economic indicators – every Premier and leader in Australia would give their eye teeth to be in the position our Chief Minister is in. He is doing a fantastic job of driving employment growth in the Northern Territory to the point where we have more jobs than there are Territorians to do them. We are 100% committed to making sure Territorians are the first to reap the rewards ...
Mr WOOD: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113 says an answer shall be succinct, concise and directly relevant to the question. The question was: we have many unemployed people in remote parts of the Territory. Is your government asking the federal government for the same plan as Tasmania? Forty seconds, minister, please answer that.
Mr TOLLNER: If these stupid interjections, where the Leader of the Opposition jumps in and makes some nefarious comment about how the sky is falling in and the Territory is about to be ruined, would stop – I was just getting to the point of answering the question and you jumped up with a silly interjection.
We are doing everything possible to get Territorians into work first. When it comes to federal government assistance packages, we want the federal government to get those unemployed people around Australia into the Northern Territory. I am interested in dragging Tasmanians here to work in the Northern Territory.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016