Key discussions from the Federal Government’s Jobs and Skills Summit included Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s fee-free TAFE places announcement, an increase in the permanent migration cap, announcement of a National Construction Industry Forum, and a speech from Australian of the Year, Dylan Alcott, addressing the workforce participation rate of people with disability.
The summit brought together more than 140 union, community and government representatives to address current challenges around labour and skills.
Other key discussion points from day one included:
- Taking action to ensure women can fully participate in the workforce
- The need for a racism-ending agenda
- Calls for student visa reform
- Immediate action on Fair Work Act
Fee-free TAFE announcement
Mr Albanese used his opening speech to announce that an agreement had been made between the Commonwealth and every State and Territory Government to create an additional 180,000 fee-free TAFE places for 2023.
The $1.1 billion package will be jointly funded by federal, state and territory governments and aims to assist Australians to develop the skills needed to get good jobs in areas of national priority.
In his speech, Mr Albanese said that cooperation on the design of a long-term National Skills Agreement will continue.
“But in recognition of the urgent challenges facing our nation, we are taking action now – with a billion-dollar training blitz, driven by public TAFE,” Mr Albanese said.
“I want this to be the beginning – not the end – of the progress that we see on skills and training over the next two days.”
National Construction Industry Forum
A tripartite National Construction Industry Forum will be established, made up of representatives from government, unions and business, that will push to drive change in Australia’s most male-dominated industry: construction.
The forum has been welcomed by Australian Constructors Association (ACA) CEO, Jon Davies, who said it is an opportunity for industry to leave behind the baggage of history.
“Government, industry and unions have an opportunity to build a stronger, more sustainable construction industry and we need to grasp it with both hands,” Mr Davies said.
“This is our opportunity to work together to transform, as other sectors have, so we can emerge as a worldwide leader and industry of choice for future generations of workers.”
The ACA had the opportunity to address summit attendees and discuss opportunities for the construction industry to create safe, fair and productive workplaces.
Mr Davies said that while in the last decade, great progress has been made to improve the physical safety of the industry’s workers, the same focus needs to be applied to addressing other issues that have, by comparison, been neglected.
“Women make up only 12 per cent of our workforce and that percentage dwindles to single digits for trades. Disputes are common, stress is an issue and workers are six times more likely to die from suicide than a workplace incident,” Mr Davies said.
“Change will only happen if government, industry and unions work collaboratively together as never seen before.”
Permanent migration cap increase
Mr Albanese has announced an increase in the permanent migration cap from 160,000 to 195,000 for this financial year.
The announcement has been welcomed by Regional Capitals Australia (RCA) Chair and Mayor of Ballarat, Daniel Moloney, who said it is a welcome step for businesses currently struggling with labour shortages.
With this announcement, regional Australia will have access to 34,000 permanent migrants, an increase of 9,000.
Additionally, post-study work rights for foreign graduates of Australian universities will also be increased by two years in areas of skills shortages.
“With nearly 87,000 job vacancies recorded in July across regional Australia we know that this isn’t a quick fix, and we will continue to work with the government on broader initiatives to meet the skills needs of our regions,” Mr Maloney said.
Equal pay and participation
The issue of achieving equal pay and opportunity for women in the workforce was also a main topic of discussion at the summit.
Independent MP Zoe Daniel was one of the speakers on this topic, telling the audience the federal government needs to take action to ensure women can participate fully in the workforce.
“Women want to work. We simply must enable them,” Ms Daniel said.
In a speech to summit attendees, wheelchair tennis champion, Dylan Alcott, said the workforce participation rate of people with disability has not risen in 28 years.
“There (are) so many opportunities to get out there and work at the moment, yet it’s not really translating into people with disability getting that chance,” Mr Alcott said.
“People with disability are 90 per cent more likely to be equal to, or more productive, than able-bodied people. We have higher retention rates and lower absenteeism.”
Mr Alcott called for all levels of government, businesses, and unions to work together to improve participation rates.
“Some people want a job, for sure. Do you know what some people want? They want a career. They want a leadership position,” Mr Alcott said.
More to come.
