House debates Questions without Notice

Employment

Thursday, 28 August 2008 House of Representatives

Steven Ciobo

Steven Ciobo Moncrieff, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Small Business, the Service Economy and Tourism

2:53 pm

My question is to the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations. Today’s Sensis Business Index states that four in 10 businesses are slashing full-time employment because of the government’s poor economic management. Will the minister advise the House if the government will be revising its current forecast of job losses?

Julia Gillard

Julia Gillard Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Prime Minister

I thank the member for his question. As I made clear to the House yesterday, the projection in the budget papers is that unemployment will be at 4.75 per cent by the June quarter of 2009. That is the projection in the budget papers.