Mark Bishop (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is the Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills, Jobs and Workplace Relations, Senator Evans. Can the minister outline to the Senate what has happened to Australian jobs in recent times? How have global events, including natural disasters here and abroad, impacted on the performance of Australia's jobs growth?

Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Bishop for his question. This Labor government is very proud that in its period in office, since 2007, it has added almost three-quarters of a million jobs to the economy. This reflects the government's very strong commitment to the creation of jobs and having that as central to our economic strategies. Senators would be aware that, in the short term, the outlook for the global economy is increasingly uncertain. Millions of people in Europe and in the United States remain unemployed and the problems in the European financial markets are having ripple effects across the world. Australia is obviously not immune from those effects, nor are we immune from the effects of natural disasters in Australia. People would be aware that the damage to the Queensland economy as a result of the floods and Cyclone Yasi has been measured in the billions of dollars. It is the case, though, that Queenslanders are getting back on their feet.

Indeed, the Australian economy has displayed remarkable strength and resilience. Last week's national accounts figures reveal that the economy grew by 1.2 per cent in the June quarter, a significant rebound after a summer of disasters. That growth was broad based. Australian families are benefiting as a result of one of the highest participation rates in the nation's history, showing that there are more people in work. Australia has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the developed world and, whilst there was a slight uptick this month, compared with like countries such as the United States, which has a nine per cent unemployment rate, our employment market remains strong. Employment grew over the year by 1.2 per cent and the outlook for jobs is still very strong, but the patchwork nature of the economy is proving a challenge and we are seeing structural adjustment impacting on jobs in the economy. (Time expired)

Mark Bishop (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Can the minister explain to the Senate the challenges associated with managing a patchwork economy in which some sectors are experiencing strong growth while other sectors are doing it quite tough?

Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is important to say at the outset that the Australian labour market has a very positive outlook. Our pipeline of resource investment alone stands at $430 billion. Based on my department's estimates, we will need 270,000 more construction and mining workers over the next five years. So there will be an enormous increase in employment in those industries. The massive investment is also leading to record highs in the Australian exchange rate, and this is having an impact on trade exposed industries, including manufacturing, tourism and international education. We understand the pressures that this is causing in the economy and that the outcomes are a reflection of genuine structural adjustments occurring in the economy. That is why the government is absolutely focused on jobs as being the core part of its response. We are absolutely focused on making sure that Australians continue to get opportunities to take new jobs in the growing economy. (Time expired)

Mark Bishop (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. Can the minister highlight what the government is doing to promote jobs for Australians and, in particular, can he outline the recently announced jobs summit?

Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In this year's budget we announced the Building Australia's Future Workforce package, which is a $3 billion investment in skills and training. We are working in partnership with business and industry, investing in targeted training to ensure that we have the skilled workforce that our economy needs. To stay ahead of the game and to ensure that all Australians are able to share in the economic growth in Australia, the Prime Minister announced yesterday that the government will hold a future jobs forum at Parliament House on 6 October. The forum will bring together about 80 representatives and experts from businesses, unions, government and academia. These are people who are interested in creating jobs in Australia and in making sure that, during the structural adjustment in the economy, people have opportunities to upskill and to transfer between industries to take advantage of the new job opportunities. So the government will continue to focus on its priority of providing jobs for Australians, encouraging economic growth and greater employment. (Time expired)