I WAS very pleased to see the jobless figures for the Ballarat region last week, indicating a drop in the unemployment rate.
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It is now at 7.1 per cent, and while this remains too high, the trend is heading in the right direction. What was interesting in your article (January 23, 2012 "Joblessness in Ballarat region down by 1.2 per cent since October") was the rapid claim by Geoff Howard that it was a result of Labor's efforts.
Really?
The bulk of that period was during the Coalition's time in government, and reflected the policies of that government.
Yes, Labor is now in power, and the impact of its policies may be observed in time.
But Mr Howard's claim that the reduction was due to the ALP's pledge to create 100,000 jobs is somewhat laughable given the legislation attached to that pledge is yet to move through the Parliament.
However, should Mr Howard really want to have a direct impact on Ballarat's unemployment rate he could talk to his leader, Dan, and explain the very important role that the relocation of VicRoads' headquarters to Ballarat would play in job creation.
The move would produce 600 jobs and $60 million a year benefit to the city.
The bulk of the work to achieve this relocation has been done by the Coalition. Geoff Howard just needs to talk to his leader and fight for jobs in Ballarat.