Motions Accorded Priority

Mr ANOULACK CHANTHIVONG (Macquarie Fields) (15:55): I listened to the member for Kiama, who moved the motion calling on us to support Jobs for NSW and employment opportunities. He spent the first three minutes of his contribution talking about neither of those things. The member for Kiama did not have to drive 120 kilometres from his electorate office at Terralong Street to the New South Wales Parliament to speak about his concerns for jobs. He could have driven to the Dapto Dogs at the greyhound racetrack not 25 minutes from his electorate office. He could have then driven another seven minutes to BlueScope Steel at Unanderra. Then he could have driven another eight minutes to the sacred institution of Wollongong TAFE, which the Baird Liberal Government is destroying.

Government members talk about jobs and employment opportunities but they never back them up with action. The member for Kiama cries foul and says that we are the ones who are destroying jobs. If only he had checked the facts. The member for Hornsby spoke about where we came from. When Labor was in office the unemployment rate was 5.1 per cent. That is a fact on the record. The unemployment rate is now 6.1 per cent. If the member wants to talk about supporting jobs and jobseekers he should take a lesson from Labor's record on the issue.

If the member for Kiama wants to support jobs he could front up to the BlueScope Steel workers and talk about the jobs that were exported based on rail contracts that could have given the kids of the Illawarra and Shoalhaven an opportunity to gain experience and skills and contribute to nation's workforce. The Government thinks those workers are not good enough for those jobs but somebody else is. If the member wants to talk about jobs he could face everybody at BlueScope Steel and explain why they are not worthy of the opportunity and the experience of making the trains for our State. The member for Kiama wants to talk about jobs. We can talk about all the opportunities the Government could have given to the people of this State instead of sending the jobs elsewhere. The member for Kiama has driven more than 120 kilometres to this House but he could not be bothered to drive a few minutes in his electorate to support the jobs of people in New South Wales. Furthermore, he could talk to all the young unemployed people in his region. The youth unemployment rate is 17 per cent in the Shoalhaven and 15 per cent in the Illawarra. Perhaps they might also need his support to get a job.