Andrew Nikolic (Bass, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise in relation to a disturbing report yesterday on youth unemployment—disturbing because of the lack of opportunity that many young people will have in their transition from school to work, but disturbing most of all because my home state of Tasmania performs worst of all the states and territories. One in five young people in Tasmania aged 15 to 24 are without work—a situation that heightens the risk of generational disadvantage, poor health outcomes and homelessness.

Tasmania is, sadly, also at the bottom of national benchmarks for adult unemployment, reinforcing what a poor return we have had from 16 years of Labor government in Tasmania—the last four years with a Labor-Green government in Hobart. Yet just before Christmas last year, the Labor Premier stated:

There will be jobs for your children. There are jobs for your children today.

I am not sure which parallel universe the Premier lives in, but the ABS monthly unemployment reports and the youth unemployment update yesterday tells the true story. On 15 March, Tasmanians have an important choice to make: whether to reward Labor for its continuing failures in relation to jobs, education, health and frontline service delivery or whether to vote for a majority Liberal government with new ideas and new vitality to finally get Tasmania off the bottom of national unemployment tables.