Melissa McIntosh (Lindsay, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Whether in the manufacturing sector or the construction sector, if you ask businesses across Western Sydney what one of the most difficult things is for them right now, emerging out of the pandemic, they'll tell you: it is finding and retaining apprentices. The skills shortage is something we must address, as the apprentices of today will become the industry leaders of tomorrow.

Western Sydney is home to one of the largest infrastructure projects, as you know, Mr Deputy Speaker Freelander: Western Sydney international airport. And, through the construction phase, over half the workforce has been people from Western Sydney. There are hundreds of apprentices working on the airport site and transport connection projects. Each one of them should be proud they are working on this nation-building project.

The contributions of apprentices span far and wide, from building our nation to defending it. Apprentices are playing a major role within Australia's investment in our sovereign capability. On the manufacturing front, as we reopen from the pandemic, domestic manufacturing will be critical to both our economic recovery and our national sovereignty. Over 900,000 people are employed in Australian manufacturing, and New South Wales holds over 28 per cent of these jobs.

In my electorate of Lindsay alone, there are over 600 manufacturers employing over 6,000 people. In an unassuming factory in St Marys, the apprentices of Baker & Provan are working on state-of-the-art defence assets, from Navy vessels to Army vehicles. Baker & Provan have trained over 70 apprentices. They see them as the future of their business. There is no greater responsibility than keeping Australians safe and secure, and our apprentices are an integral part of maintaining Australia's national security through these capabilities.

Across Western Sydney, businesses are eager for apprentices to contribute to the projects that build and defend our nation. As we move into an era of modern and advanced manufacturing, our region is poised to be at the forefront of emerging industries: agribusiness, space, medicine, advanced manufacturing and more. These are the industries whose jobs used to be considered the jobs of the future, but they are very fast becoming the jobs of tomorrow. There will be jobs in artificial intelligence, biotechnology, quantum computing, robotics and automation. To generate and sustain these emerging industries, we must fill them with a skilled workforce. We will continue to back more young Australians into these exciting careers, but right now, more than ever, we need more apprentices.

Mike Freelander (Macarthur, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In accordance with standing order 193, the time for constituency statements has concluded.