The Minns Government has once again shown it has no plan for jobs in New South Wales, with the Minister for Jobs today exposed as completely out of his depth during Budget Estimates.
Shadow Minister for Jobs, Mark Coure, has slammed the Minns Labor Government after Jobs Minister, Stephen Kamper, failed to acknowledge how many jobs have been lost under Labor’s watch.
When questioned on basic facts about unemployment, the Minister was unable to provide clear answers, despite thousands of families across NSW struggling with job losses and cost-of-living pressures.
“NSW has lost 45,000 jobs in just the past two months. More than 205,000 people across our state are unemployed, and yet the Minister responsible for jobs can’t even say how many jobs have been lost since Labor came to office,” Mr Coure said.
“This isn’t just his regular incompetence or a slip-up, it’s a reflection of a government with no plan and no answers for hundreds of thousands of families who are struggling right now.”
The facts are clear:
- When Labor came to power in March 2023, the NSW unemployment rate was 3.3%; under their watch it ballooned to 4.4%.[1]
- NSW is the only state or territory where unemployment increased over 12 months from May 2024 to May 2025, dragging up the national unemployment rate.[2]
- Areas like Parramatta (5.6%), Blacktown (5.1%) and South-West Sydney (5.7%) experience far higher unemployment rates than the state and national average.[3]
“This do-nothing government has cut 1515 public sector roles and has failed to create any new jobs since coming to office, except in their own offices, where recent data revealed a 32.34% increase in staff salary costs for Minister Kamper’s office,” Mr Coure said.
“Families out of work across NSW know how tough things are, but clearly the Minister doesn’t. He is offering excuses instead of solutions, and that is simply not good enough.”
“NSW needs leadership that creates opportunities and secures jobs, not a Minister who can’t answer the most basic questions about unemployment.”