Mark Arbib (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Government Service Delivery) Share this | Hansard source

Of course, we know that Far North Queensland was the community hardest hit by the global recession. Today we have had some good news. While these figures are monthly and obviously we need to be tentative, the figures show that the unemployment rate has gone down in Far North Queensland from 10.4 per cent in April to 8.9 per cent in May—a drop of 1.5 per cent. As all senators know, a great deal of work has gone into this. I thank Jim Turnour, the member in Cairns, and also Senator McLucas for the work she has done. I also thank the local community, from Advance Cairns to local business and community groups, and also the council for the work for they have done as well.