Employment figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics this week have shown that regional unemployment in Victoria is at its lowest level since records have been taken.

Under the previous Coalition government the regional unemployment levels had blown out to 6.6%. In the 2018 December quarter the rate dropped a further 0.3% to the new record low of 4.3%. This is well below the national average regional unemployment rate which is currently 5%.

This result reflects the hard work of the Andrews Labor Government’s first term of getting things done.

During the first term of the Andrews Labor Government Victoria’s regional unemployment rate fell by 2.1 percentage points; with nearly 58,000 people finding work. Most impressive though, was that of these 58,000 jobs more than 80 per cent of these jobs were full-time.

In the Ballarat region the December 2018 quarter saw an unemployment rate of 3.4%, whereas when the previous Coalition government left office the unemployment rate in the Ballarat region was 6.9%.

Quotes attributable to Michaela Settle

“These latest employment figures are clear evidence that the Andrews government’s focus on regional Victoria is delivering real results to improve the lives of local residents.”

“This is welcome news. The Ballarat region can be proud of achieving this incredible result. The Andrews government has worked hard to ensure Ballarat had the means and opportunity and the community has seized that and been rewarded for it.”