Get Involved - Parliament

Jobs Growth

Published on: March 2022

Record: HANSARD-1323879322-123277

Jobs Growth

Ms FELICITY WILSON (North Shore) (14:13:25

): My question is addressed to the Treasurer and Minister for Energy. Will the Treasurer update the House on the State's latest jobs figures and any policies to drive jobs growth in New South Wales?

Mr MATT KEAN (HornsbyTreasurer, and Minister for Energy) (14:31:36):

— It is great to get a question from the member for North Shore. The best member that we have ever had on the North Shore, and I am one of them. It is great to get a question from someone who is passionate about creating jobs and wants to see more jobs across New South Wales. That is unlike the Leader of the Opposition, who is only interested in doing a job on his predecessor. The only interest he has is in pushing people out of jobs.

Mr Ron Hoenig:

Point of order—

The SPEAKER:

The Clerk will stop the clock.

Mr MATT KEAN:

I was so well behaved yesterday.

Mr Ron Hoenig:

Well, you are not today. You never said those things about the member for Kiama, did you?

Mr MATT KEAN:

Make it up.

The SPEAKER:

The member for Heffron is pushing it. What is the member's point of order?

Mr Ron Hoenig:

The comments that the Treasurer is making about the Leader of the Opposition are not remotely relevant or even introductory to the question he was asked. I ask the Speaker to require the member to be generally relevant to the question.

The SPEAKER:

I am satisfied, as I normally am in the first minute, that there are introductory comments being made.

Mr MATT KEAN:

I think they are very relevant. We are talking about jobs. This Government is focused on creating jobs. The only job that the Leader of the Opposition cares about is for his predecessor and doing a job on her—pushing her out of a job. Luckily for the former Leader of the Opposition, because we have the lowest unemployment rate in New South Wales, she should have no problems finding a new job. That is bipartisanship in action. We are creating jobs and we have just delivered the lowest unemployment rate in the State's history—3.7 per cent, which is below the national average of 4 per cent. What it means is that all of those people who want a job can get a job. In addition, people who want to work more hours can do so, because our participation rate for the month of February was up half a per cent as well.

There are currently 87,000 new jobs in New South Wales, above where we were before we went into the pandemic. Things like this do not just happen. In fact, around 78,000 new jobs were created for the month of February and more than two-thirds of them were created in New South Wales. That is because there is a Coalition government in place. Under the Perrottet-Toole leadership, we have been able to create new and better-paying jobs and grow the economy going forward. That is what Coalition governments are about. It does not stop there. There are going to be more jobs into the future as we unroll one of the biggest infrastructure investment pipelines in the world. There are projects that will benefit people right across the State, particularly in western Sydney. People in western Sydney will see new transport infrastructure that will reduce travel times and create jobs.

I was surprised to see the Leader of the Opposition does not seem to understand that some of these projects are in western Sydney. The other day he was tweeting that the south-west metro line is not in western Sydney. He does not seem to understand that the people of Lakemba and Bankstown are going to benefit from a new metro line that will improve travel times, provide vital public transport and create jobs. I am sure the member for Lakemba is surprised that piece of infrastructure that is going to benefit his community is not part of western Sydney. I am sure the member for Bankstown is surprised that the Leader of the Opposition does not understand her seat is not in western Sydney. They are not alone. I am sure the member for Auburn is surprised that the Leader of the Opposition does not understand the metro west will go through the seat of Auburn.

Mr Mark Coure:

She lives in Rockdale anyway.

Mr MATT KEAN:

Maybe the member for Auburn, who lives in Rockdale, can show the Leader of the Opposition exactly where western Sydney is. While she is as it, perhaps she can show Andrew Charlton where western Sydney is as well.

The SPEAKER:

I call the member for Auburn to order for the first time.

Mr MATT KEAN:

I think I have worked out exactly what the problem is here. The reason the Leader of the Opposition does not understand the transport infrastructure program we have got going in western Sydney is that Huang Xiangmo does not pay for junkets to travel to western Sydney.

Mr Ron Hoenig:

Point of order: I have a list of all your trips to China.

The SPEAKER:

I again warn the member for Heffron that if he makes quips instead of taking a point of order, he will not be heard.

Ms Felicity Wilson:

I seek additional information.

The SPEAKER:

I will grant an additional two minutes, but I am happy to hear the point of order from the member for Heffron.

Mr Ron Hoenig:

My point of order is taken under Standing Order 73. The Treasurer is making personal reflections on the Opposition leader. Not only that, Mr Speaker, you should not exercise your discretion to grant a two-minute extension because he is departing from the question and being provocative. You should apply the rulings of previous Speakers and the practice of the House and not grant him two minutes, otherwise there will be further disorderly conduct in the House.

The SPEAKER:

The disorderly conduct of the member for Auburn has now put her on two calls to order. I grant a two‑minute extension, but I ask the Treasurer to desist from attacking the Opposition leader because I am giving him the extension on the basis that he will answer the question.

Mr MATT KEAN:

That is an excellent ruling. I am talking about jobs and how these infrastructure projects are creating jobs, primarily in western Sydney. At the same time, we are delivering better services and essential public transport infrastructure that those communities have missed out on after 16 years of corrupt and failed Labor rule. It was a rotten government, which the Leader of the Opposition was an integral part of. He does not understand where western Sydney is because Huang Xiangmo has not paid for a junket—

Mr Ron Hoenig:

Point of order: The Treasurer is now in breach of Standing Order 130, debating the question. Mr Speaker, you gave him an extension on the basis that he answer the question properly and provide information to the House. He is now debating what I submit is a pretty irrelevant issue.

The SPEAKER:

We will move to the next question.