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Mr MIKE BAIRD (Manly) [3.49 p.m.]: It is quite incredible that the member for Wollongong stood up to talk about jobs. Not only did we not hear about any matters of substance or any concrete steps that this Government has taken to support businesses that are trying to make a living, and mums and dads that are trying to make a living from those businesses, but also she forgot to mention a business in her electorate. I will come to that. I move:
That the motion be amended by deleting all words after "New South Wales" with a view to inserting the following:
"Government's performance regarding employment in NSW and notes its hypocrisy given plans to reduce 130 data centres to 2."
The member spoke about jobs but I remind her there is a company in her electorate called Poppets Schoolwear, which is run by a mother and daughter who are trying to earn a living by making school uniforms. What happened to them? The woman running the business said the amount of payroll tax she paid last financial year was the equivalent of wages and benefits for eight full-time workers. Unfortunately, that business had to retrench 47 of its 76 staff because the business could not compete. The member for Wollongong talks about jobs but what did she do to help Poppets? This business in her own electorate was ignored by the Labor Government. The Government did nothing. I went down there and met with the workers. I understand what they are trying to achieve. It is businesses like Poppets that are going to take this economy forward but unfortunately the Labor Government has left them alone and not supported them.
All those jobs have gone in the member's electorate because of a lack of action by this Labor Government. It is incredible that the member for Wollongong can get up and talk about jobs. Then the member raised the issue of outsourcing. The Government is outsourcing its trains to China. It is buying police hats that do not fit from China. The Government cannot criticise us for talking about outsourcing; the Government is outsourcing.
Ms Noreen Hay: So you admit it?
Mr MIKE BAIRD: No, my colleague will talk about outsourcing. The Government is outsourcing; do not be so hypocritical. I want to talk about jobs because the record of this Government is incredibly poor. We remember very well the claims—we hear them all the time—that the Government's infrastructure plans will support 160,000 jobs. Does the member agree with that?
Ms Noreen Hay: What is your plan? Tell us.
Mr MIKE BAIRD: In relation to this stupid, fictitious and spin-driven concept of 160,000 jobs, what did Robert Carling say?
Ms Noreen Hay: Point of order: The motion we are debating—
Mr MIKE BAIRD: I amended it. There is no point of order.
Ms Noreen Hay: The Deputy-Speaker will decide that. Sit down!
The DEPUTY-SPEAKER: Order! I will hear further from the member for Wollongong on the point of order.
Ms Noreen Hay: I suggest the member for Manly is addressing neither the leave of the motion nor his amendment.
The DEPUTY-SPEAKER: Order! There is no point of order. The amendment specifically refers to employment.
Mr MIKE BAIRD: Robert Carling, a former senior official with Treasury, said:
The statement that infrastructure spending will 'support up to 160,000 jobs' is an unsourced, unsubstantiated assertion. For my part, I am willing to concede that the infrastructure spending and associated tripe will help support 70 jobs—those of the Labor members of the NSW Parliament.
It gets better, because we can refer to the speech made by the Premier in relation to jobs. We are talking about jobs in this State. The Premier's speech relating to the budget was reviewed and the information was that notes were provided by Treasury. I have to say there may not have been notes because the Government is very good at blaming public servants. Even if members of Treasury did provide notes my guess is it was probably Eric Roozendaal or the Treasurer at the time who wrote the comments—whoever was in the job, because they rotate the Treasurer's portfolio on the Government benches. You can imagine Eric sitting down with the speech draft and getting out his pen. The Premier made the comment that it was the largest ever infrastructure investment in a single year by the New South Wales Government. That is what the Premier was going to say in the budget speech. It was going to support jobs such as the 300 jobs being created in the building of Orange hospital. Next to the words "300 jobs" is the notation "can't verify". Was that Eric's note or whose was it? Then there was reference to 2,000 jobs with a notation next to it that it might actually be only 400 jobs. The word "generated" is crossed out and "supported" substituted. It goes on. The speech refers to the metro as a network that will in time spread rapid underground transit links across Sydney. The notes refer to "a long time".
Ms Noreen Hay: You are just waffling to use up time.
Mr MIKE BAIRD: No, this is absolutely relevant. The speech then says it also builds on the Government's landmark commitment to create 6,000 cadetships and apprenticeships. The note next to that says, "can't verify". The member for Wollongong talks about the Government creating jobs but there is nothing to substantiate her comments. What does it mean? The Government's approach has led to the very clear situation that unemployment in New South Wales over the past five years has been higher than the national average.
The DEPUTY-SPEAKER: Order! Government members will come to order.
Mr MIKE BAIRD: The Government puts out spin pretending it is trying to do something about jobs but the truth is the Government is doing nothing about jobs, to the point where Treasury says it cannot verify the claims made in the Premier's speech on the budget.
The DEPUTY-SPEAKER: Order! Government members will come to order.
Mr MIKE BAIRD: The "State of the States" report ranks the economic performance of this Government. That is compiled by an independent body, not by me. Where did New South Wales come? I will let the member for Wollongong answer. New South Wales came last on every material indicator. That is the truth. The reason this State is in such a mess is that the Government plays with numbers. It creates spin and makes speeches about creating jobs that do not exist. The member for Wollongong has a hide to stand here today and talk about this Government supporting jobs, particularly when Poppets in the member's own electorate has lost all those jobs and the Government did nothing about it. That is a snapshot of the economy. Businesses such as Poppets take this State forward but the Labor Government did nothing to help it.
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