TRANSCRIPT - PRESS CONFERENCE, SYDNEY - THURSDAY, 15 DECEMBER 2023

E&OE TRANSCRIPT

PRESS CONFERENCE, SYDNEY

THURSDAY, 14 DECEMBER 2023

SUBJECTS: Labour force figures, conflict in the Middle East.

TONY BURKE MP, MINISTER FOR EMPLOYMENT AND WORKPLACE RELATIONS, MINISTER FOR THE ARTS: Thanks everyone for coming. I’m very pleased to report that for the final set of employment figures for 2023, unemployment still has a three in front of it, wages has a four in front of it, and there are 700,000 new jobs that have been created under this Government.

To go through some of the fantastic figures that we've got today, first of all, in the context of new jobs. Forecasts had been there as to how many new jobs would be created in the last month of November. Today's figures go way beyond what had been anticipated there by any of the forecasters. 61,500 new jobs. And of those you'll remember that this Government's been pushing for a long time to try to create more secure employment for people. Of the 61,500 new jobs, 57,000 of them are full time. That means for the jobs growth in November, 93 per cent of the new jobs are full time.

It's also true that this has happened with the unemployment figure coming in at 3.9 per cent, has to be seen very much in the context of the increase in the participation rate. More people are out there looking for work and the participation rate is now at a record all-time high. The participation rate has never been higher, and it's come in at 67.2. The female participation rate is at an equal record high at 62.9 per cent.

There has been some softening, so the number of hours worked, the rate of increase of that, has softened. So, that's part of it as well. But importantly, what's happening is more people than ever are wanting to be in the jobs market, and increasingly they are finding more and more jobs, and the jobs that they are finding increasingly are full time.

This is a real shift in what it is to be able to work in Australia. There are more people in secure jobs, and wages are now coming in at a much better rate as well. Across all of that, we have figures in front of us today which are very, very good for full time employment, for women in the workforce, and the unemployment figures themselves.

The monthly figures which we're reporting today haven't always been with us, but go back through the history of the monthly unemployment figures being reported by the ABS. 2023 is the first year ever that every monthly reported figure has come in at under 4 per cent. The unemployment rate every month this year has come in below 4 per cent. 2023 is the first year where that's ever happened.

So I'm very pleased to say the policies of this government are working. When we introduce laws like the Secure Jobs, Better Pay law, or Closing Loopholes, there are always dire predictions. But the results are now out there in the workplace; people are better paid, their employment is more secure, and more people are in work. Happy to take any questions.

SPEAKER: I've got one here. Not on this subject. But, Mr. Burke, why didn't the PM's decision yesterday to suddenly shift and support an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas go to Cabinet? And were you told in advance?

BURKE: First of all, as you'd expect, no Minister talks about the Cabinet process and I certainly won't. It's for the Foreign Minister to deal with that issue, and the Prime Minister. I will say this: the whole way that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese manages the Cabinet is collegiate, and everybody gets the opportunity to be able to make sure that they input and present their views in those meetings. But given those meetings are confidential, I'm not sure that I can offer exactly what you're after there.

SPEAKER: Was the decision done due to concerns raised by yourself and your colleagues, Minister Husic and Minister Clare?

BURKE: I think it's fair to say that all decisions of this Government are made on their merits, and I'll leave it at that. Okay, thanks very much, everybody. Have a good Christmas. See you.

ENDS