Zaneta Mascarenhas (Swan, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

We live in unprecedented times. It's something that we've heard repeatedly. We're in the midst of a pandemic, we have global tensions pushing up energy prices, our country is currently grappling with floods, and we have a skills shortage. It has been a challenging time for businesses and people. But I am proud to be part of a government that's bringing people together. That's because the Albanese Labor government is about uniting Australia, not dividing it.

The Jobs and Skills Summit was about doing exactly that, bringing Australian businesses, workers and community groups together to develop a road map towards building a stronger economy that works harder for people and the nation's productivity. From Bennelong in New South Wales to Belmont in my electorate in Western Australia, community roundtables formed part of the jobs and skills roundtable process to discuss how we can improve lives and livelihoods by increasing productivity, unlocking skills, and creating good jobs and businesses for tomorrow.

On Friday 18 November, I held a Swan jobs and skills roundtable to provide an opportunity for 60 businesses and community leaders to have their say on how we can build a stronger economy that benefits our community. Joining me for this event was Toll Global Express CEO, Christine Holgate, who generously shared her insights on adaptability in an uncertain business environment. My community was excited to spend some time with Ms Holgate, who won the 2022 Australian Award for Excellence in Women Leadership. Christine is an incredibly talented business leader and influencer. She has taken the Toll Global Express cash flow cash positive in just eight months, and she deeply cares about her workers.

I equally have impressive organisations and leaders in the electorate of Swan. After learning about the challenges for people with a disability getting employment, the town of Victoria Park set out an employment target of five per cent by 2025. But then we had outstanding businesses, like Our Ruby Girl, a beloved café in Como. The effervescent owner, Sarah Yates, is trained as a psychologist and has worked in mental health in the disability space. Her passion resulted in her opening a cafe. Fifty per cent of employees at Our Ruby Girl have a disability. I like to think of Sarah Yates as the Twiggy Forrest of the disability space. Twiggy's keen and interested in seeing the transformation of the resource sector in a low-carbon future; Sarah is creating best practice for what employers can do to achieve loyal workers who happen to have a disability. I challenge more employers to be like Our Ruby Girl, and even the Town of Vic Park, who see beyond disability and set targets.

Carol Hanlon is another passionate member of Swan. She's the CEO of Belmont Business Enterprise Centre, which provides advice, professional development and mentorship to small and medium-sized businesses, and has done this for 28 years. She's particularly passionate about women in business and the barriers that they face. She would like to see more support for organisations like hers that provide this invaluable support.

Then we heard from John Kelly, a builder who spoke about the need for better support for students wishing to pursue trades so that construction businesses like his can count on future generations to have a rewarding, well-paid career building homes, businesses and community infrastructure. He was also keen to see increased skilled migration and was concerned about where people would live. Interestingly, Christine Holgate's concern was also the cost of rent for her employees.

I note that the Albanese Labor government is working on some of these issues already, with an additional $1 billion, joint federal-state funding, for fee-free TAFE in 2023 to accelerate the delivery of 465,000 fee-free places. We will increase the migration program ceiling to 195,000 places in 2022-23 to help with those critical skills shortages. And we also have a plan to build one million homes between 2024 and 2030. There is more work to do, and that's why we have this consultation process.

All the participants were buzzing with excitement at what our future could look like. Thank you to those participants. And a particular thank you to my state colleagues Geoff Baker, the member for South Perth, and Hannah Beazley, the member for Victoria Park, for their attendance and putting this event together. I'd also like to acknowledge the Town of Vic Park mayor, Karen Vernon, and the City of South Perth mayor, Greg Milner. Thank you.

Question agreed to.

Federation Chamber adjourned at 12:32

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