Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Northern and Remote Australia) Share this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Employment Participation, Senator Wong. I ask the minister: does she recall her letter to Mr Marcus L'Estrange on 8 March 2007, where she argued that the official unemployment figures did not accurately reflect the real figures of unemployment and underemployment in Australia? I ask the minister: does she stand by her statement in that letter of the disconnect between ABS unemployment figures and the true state of the Australian labour market? Just to help the minister, two very simple and brief questions: does she recall her argument in that letter about the official unemployment figures, and does she stand by her statement about the disconnect between the ABS unemployment figures and the true state of the Australian labour market?