16 February 2013

Jobs growth in Melbourne’s West has ground to a halt under the first two years of the Baillieu Government’s term., data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show.

““It is getting harder and harder to get a job in Victoria under Ted Baillieu and it is particularly acute in Melbourne’s West. The figures show that in the more than two years since the Baillieu Government was elected in November 2010, only 267 jobs have been created in the entire Outer Western Melbourne region. This is an average of only 10 new jobs per month,” said Tim Pallas, State Labor MP for Tarneit.

“Compare this record with the same period at the end of the Bracks/Brumby Labor Government, when a total of 7,168 new jobs were created – an average of 276 per month. This is more than 25 times more jobs than created under Baillieu.”

“Put another way, the Baillieu Government have taken two years to oversee the jobs growth that Labor saw during an average month during their last two years of Government, a period which includes the unemployment spike from the Global Financial Crisis and after a decade of drought” Mr Pallas said.

“Ninety-six per cent of the jobs created in Melbourne’s West, and ninety per cent of the jobs created in Victoria as a whole over the last four years were under the Labor Government. This clearly shows that Mr Baillieu isn’t working on getting people back to work.”

Premier Baillieu and his team have taken little action to assist the growing list of unemployed Victorians.

“This month alone there are over 30,000 additional Victorians out of work due largely to the Baillieu Government’s failure to generate employment through infrastructure projects and cuts to the public service,” he said.

“The announcement of the East Werribee Employment Precinct, an initiative of the previous Labor Government, came after two years of action. This means that any employment created at the Precinct has been set back years.

 “Mr Baillieu needs to take responsibility for the problem, come up with a plan and work hard to put people back in work.

“Instead, all we hear from Mr Baillieu is why it is everyone else’s fault.

“It is no surprise that Victoria falling behind the pack, with the equal highest unemployment rate on the mainland. After two years in government Ted Baillieu has failed to deliver a substantive jobs and investment plan to generate jobs in the state.”