SHIPBUILDING FIASCO & WILD RIVERS FEATURE IN UNEMPLOYMENT DISGRACE

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The Federal Governments March quarter data on suburban and regional unemployment reveal the true difficulty facing people in Cairns and other parts of Far North Queensland with unemployment levels in some areas as high as 28.9%.

Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Northern and Remote Australia Senator Ian Macdonald said that Gillard Government could not be trusted to take the necessary action to bring the figures back under control.

“The terrible unemployment situation in Cairns has been made so much worse over the past few years with the loss of a vital ship building industry due to Labor Government decisions and the increase in the departure tax stealing vital tourist dollars,” Senator Madconald said.

“Local Member Jim Turnour and the Labor Party are responsible for both the loss of the shipbuilding and the increased tax.

“The figures also show that indigenous communities in the Far North such as Aurukun, Hope Vale and Wujal Wujal have unemployment rates from 19.2% to 28.9%.

“If any real progress is going to be made in redressing indigenous disadvantage the need to create meaningful employment close to traditional lands is very important but both the State and Federal Labor Government’s seem hell bent on making this more difficult.

“Earlier this month 1700 jobs and $1.2 billion of investment was lost from the Cape when the declaration of the Wenlock River as a ‘Wild River’ made the Cape Alumina Bauxite project unviable.

“Just this week we have heard that the State Government want to lock up another seven rivers on the Cape, who knows what that will cost indigenous communities so far as jobs, investment and improved services is concerned?

“These latest figures highlight how Jim Turnour and Julia GIllard have let down the Far North during the Global Financial Crisis and continued to do so over the past 12 months.

“If people in the Far North can’t trust Labor to deliver their fair share, it is clear to me that only Warren Entsch and the Coalition can deliver real improvements in the region,” Senator Macdonald said.

END

28 June 2010

Media contact Gordon Terry      (07) 4771 3066   or   0427 960 255                                           

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