Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Rennick for the question, and I acknowledge that he comes, like I do, from one of the great states that understands the benefits that the resources sector makes to its economy but also understands that as a government we have to continue to put in place policies that will ensure the future of the resources sector in Australia. When we have a strong resources sector, the economy prospers and grows, and we see the creation of more jobs for Australians.

In terms of job creation, since we were elected to office in 2013 the policies that the coalition government has put in place have seen the economy create now in excess of 1.5 million jobs. In fact, with the recent labour force figures for January 2020, employment has increased by almost 250,000 jobs, and that continues to be above the decade average for jobs growth.

We've also made a commitment that we will put in place the right policies that will enable the economy to create an additional 1.25 million jobs over the next five years. To achieve this, we understand that we in Australia need a strong resources sector and we need to ensure that Australians have the necessary skills that our resources sector needs. That is why, through the government's $585 million investment in our skills package, we've announced a skills organisation pilot in the resources industry and, in particular, the mining industry.

The mining industry, as we know, is strongly engaged with the VET system. The mining industry invests heavily in its workforce and in the training of its workforce to ensure that they have the necessary skills. We are committed to working with the resources industry to ensure that they continue to deliver and we as a government continue to deliver to Australians the right skills— (Time expired)