Regional Australia in Focus at Jobs and Skills Summit

The Hon Catherine King MP Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government and the Hon Kristy McBain MP, Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories said that last week’s Jobs and Skills Summit has been an important first step in the Government’s plan to address job and skill issues in regional Australia.

In a media release they said that it is clear there are wide-ranging issues behind skills shortages in the regions from housing affordability and availability, liveability, lack of training facilities and pathways, construction costs and access to materials, lower wages in the regions, and competition for skilled workers across industries.

As a result of listening to concerns in the regions, it is likely that many regions will see large investments in infrastructure through the renewable energy sector.

In the short term, the Government plans to strengthen the migration system to better enable the attraction and retention of skilled workers.

In the longer term, increasing participation of underemployed groups, increasing the pipeline of workers in areas of shortages, and pathways from training to work will deliver on concerns held widely across the regions.

Addressing these challenges requires many people across sectors and across levels of government to work together, they said. “No one group can do it alone”.

Minister King and McBain said that they will now get to work on the Employment White paper that will plot a path forward for the Government.

• Topics:

• Employment & Training
• Immigration