Address to the Logan Jobs Expo

Well thank you very much Pam [Parker]. Can I begin first by also acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which we meet and paying my respects to elders past and present and thanking Auntie Robyn for that introduction.

Thank you to your Mayor, Pam Parker, a woman that knows how to take charge of an event! Thank you to Samantha Wilson, who has worked so incredibly hard in preparation for this expo.

And I want to acknowledge representation from your local member Craig Emerson’s office, Kerri who is here today. To all the staff of the different government departments who work so hard on these expos.

Most importantly though, to the job seekers who have come here today – I’ve been advised that we’ve already had over 1500 people walk through the doors. So to you, I say welcome to the Australian Government’s 66th jobs expo.

Now I have some important milestones to share today. One is that, these expos – we’ve now placed over 23,000 locals into employment. And we are so excited about adding to that figure today.

And I can also provide you with an update on how many jobs we have available. We now have over 750 local jobs up on the boards next to us. But we also have well over 1000 jobs in the mining and resources sector for those that are looking for potential fly-in/fly-out relocation initiatives. So there are over 1700 jobs, new jobs, up for grabs here today [applause].

The expo here today is funded through our $850,000 support package for Queensland workers. And we’ve come here because we know that there are too many people in the local community who are not sharing in the prosperity of the rest of the country. The local unemployment rate here remains above the national average and we want to address that.

But we also know that there are a number of previously employed state public servants who are coming here today, who find themselves amongst 14,000 Queensland public servants who have been sacked by the State Government.

We come here to support you today because we know that with a job, you actually have a lot more than just having a regular pay packet. We know how important that is. We get that having a job is about the confidence that comes with that. It’s about the dignity of knowing that you’re contributing to your local community. It’s about your own sense of pride in knowing that you are supporting yourself, your family and contributing to your local area as well.

So we come here today. We’ve invested in this. We’ve brought together employers. Because we have a message – that the Australian Government will not walk away from you.

We believe the jobs on the jobs boards will provide a great opportunity to make sure that everyone can share in the dignity of work. And that means us getting to the grass roots, bringing together local employers and local job seekers. That’s the hard work that we’re willing to take on because it is absolutely central to our Government’s agenda.

So thank you again for coming along. I wish you the best of luck. There’s also a number of workshops that are taking place throughout the day as this is another way that we can work in partnership with you. Whether it’s looking at the labour market, what kind of jobs are available and where they are, whether it’s looking at job seeker skills; there are workshops available to cover these issues. This is real support that the Australian Government is putting in place. Because we want to assist you back to work.

So here today there’s 1700 jobs up for grabs and I can’t wait to hear stories about the lives that have been transformed because you’ve made the decision to come along today.

Thank you and good luck.