Where's The Plan!

Wayne Berry - Opposition Spokesperson on Employment

Media Statement - 11 January 2001

Labor Shadow Employment Minister Wayne Berry has called on the ACT Government to announce its plans to deal with the predicted fall in employment in the ACT.

Mr Berry's call follows last week's fall in the ANZ Bank job ad series and falling full-time employment revealed in the Australian Bureau of Statistics Labour Force figures.

The figures released today show that while the unemployment rate is steady at 4.5% there are 300 fewer full-time jobs.

Mr Berry said, "It is well known that after a time lag from a fall in job ads, unemployment worsens. In the ACT job ads have been falling for six months and for the third month full-time jobs have fallen. We have 800 fewer full-time jobs than in September 2000.

"These signs are worrying and still there is a deafening silence from the ACT Government on its plans to deal with a problem that has been widely predicted.

"The continuing low unemployment rate is good news for the Territory and the ACT Government will boastfully take all the credit however signals for a slowdown are strong and the absence of any plan from the Humphries Government to deal with the issue is cause for concern.

"Sitting on their hands is not the answer," Mr Berry concluded.