Michael Ferguson (Bass, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Mr Deputy Speaker, prior to addressing this matter of public importance, which I wish to do, I ask for your indulgence to briefly reflect for a moment on the events which have unfolded back home in Northern Tasmania. The loss of the life of one miner and today’s rescue of two missing miners bring us all together at this time. That is something which both the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition have agreed upon today in their reflections. It has been a very emotional and also uplifting day for the people of Northern Tasmania and indeed the entire Australian community, who have watched with bated breath. Awaking today to the news that Todd Russell and Brant Webb had finally been saved was the best start to the morning that anybody could have asked for. Their rescue has of course been a long time coming and, having found themselves trapped in a cramped cage deep underground on Anzac Day, two weeks ago, they must have experienced many feelings: I suppose relief that they were unharmed and had been protected from the rock fall but also fear for the welfare of their colleagues, their work mates, that they knew were nearby. None of us can even begin to imagine their fears and how they have had to hold their nerve as they waited and hoped for help to arrive. Couple these with their concerns for their loved ones, which would have been very gripping indeed for them, and the uncertainty and sadness that those loved ones would have been experiencing during this time.

When contact was actually made with the men eight days ago that Sunday night we all rejoiced, but none of us then imagined how long it would actually take to again see them alive. Today our prayers were answered. Today is indeed a day for celebration, but it is also one for reflection as we remember Larry Knight, a member of the Northern Tasmanian community whose funeral has been held today back home in Launceston. I know that the last two weeks have been unspeakably tough for Larry’s family, especially for Jacquie and their children, who have had to battle many emotions. At times like this we try to understand why these things happen, but for now our thoughts are simply with them. Mr Deputy Speaker, I thank you for allowing me that indulgence.

I would like to address the matter of public importance which has been raised by the member for Ballarat. It is a legitimate issue for the member to be raising in this place. However, I feel that the raising of the matter of public importance comes from a very poor understanding of the situation in which we find ourselves. She has chosen in this case to word it by making an assumption that the government has in some way caused a failure of policy and has itself failed to train Australians in traditional trades. She claims in her MPI that this has somehow caused the undermining of the job security and employment conditions of Australian workers. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Australian government has not failed to train Australians. In fact, the government’s record is very strong and in a moment I will be drawing some comparisons with Labor’s record in office when they had an opportunity to play a key role in ensuring that Australia’s skill levels were high.

Very importantly, the fact that unemployment in this country today is at the lowest it has been in my lifetime should not be lost on any of us. The question really does become: does Australia have a skills crisis, as people like the member for Jagajaga and the member for Ballarat seem to constantly say, or do we simply have a shortage of labour? I would argue that when we hear people railing against the government and using phrases like ‘skills crisis’ they are walking away from the fact that this government has presided over the lowest unemployment rates in my lifetime. Across Australia the unemployment rate today sits at around five per cent. In my electorate of Bass, unemployment has fallen by two per cent in the last 12 months alone. It seems that my colleagues in the Labor Party opposite who are laughing, being scornful and refusing to listen just do not want to hear that the reality is that we do not have a ‘skills crisis’—that is their jargon—but we do have a labour shortage. This is an important issue.

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