Premier Mike Rann has suffered yet another blow to his 100,000 new jobs promise which is drifting increasingly out of reach.

 

Access Economics’ June Quarter report, released today, shows that job growth “has failed to keep pace with that seen nationally, leaving unemployment edging up”. (pg. 104)

 

According to Shadow Employment Minister, David Pisoni, the report is another indication of the Rann Labor Government’s poor performance on jobs.

 

“South Australia is lagging behind the rest of the country,” Mr Pisoni said.

 

“Premier Rann promised South Australia 100,000 new jobs but we all we are getting is more bad news.”

 

In a further attack on the Premier’s promises the Access Economics Report goes to say;

 

“Although SA’s resource potential is indeed tremendous, it remains ‘potential’ rather than actual… Despite the welcome exclusion of Olympic Dam from the new mining tax, there is still no certainty that that expansion will go ahead.” (pg. 104)

 

“The Rann Labor Government has been promising a mining boom for nearly nine years and 23 000 extra jobs from Olympic Dam alone.  This proves once again that Premier Rann is all talk and no action.

 

“Our State is falling further and further behind as we see increasing unemployment and greater uncertainty for business.

 

“Premier Rann is running South Australia into the ground with poor economic management,” Mr Pisoni said.

The bad news follows reports that;

 

• BHP will be moving more than 150 jobs out of Adelaide

• 1000 jobs have been lost in the mining industry since the State election

• 4000 jobs have been lost in manufacturing since the State election

• If SA had kept pace with the national jobs growth rate, there would be about 27,000 more jobs in the state