Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator O'Neill. I know this is an issue you've worked on for many years, particularly in your committee roles. As every employer and worker in Australia knows, our country is facing a skill shortage crisis. This is the workplace legacy of a decade of training cuts and inaction from an incompetent coalition government, and projections are that nine out of every 10 new jobs over the next five years will need a post-school qualification, heightening the need for greater investment in our training system. The failure former government—which they're upset to be reminded of—to invest in skills is one of the key causes of our economy's capacity constraints and the higher inflation that's resulted. That's why the Albanese Labor government is taking action right now. The Jobs and Skills Summit in September is part of delivering on our election promise to bring people together—something the last government was incapable of doing—and find common ground on some of our tough economic challenges. Of course, as Senator Gallagher has pointed out, we have inherited a budget with a trillion dollars of debt, so the government will ensure that any measures taken will provide a good economic return.

Australians voted in May for a government that looks ahead and makes real plans for the future, so we can shape our future instead of just reacting to events and missing opportunities—something that we had to endure nearly 10 years of from those opposite. We know a lot of Australians are doing it tough, so a key focus of the summit will be how we can improve lives and livelihoods, raising incomes, creating good jobs and getting Australians the skills they need for the jobs of tomorrow. The summit will bring Australians together, including employers, unions, civil society and governments, to address our shared economic challenges. We need all sorts of skills in our country, whether they be traditional or new skills, and it's this government's actions, including the Jobs and Skills Summit, which will be good for jobs, good— (Time expired)