Doorstop - Securing Australia’s Workforce Speech, Barangaroo, Sydney
Topics: The Morrison Government’s approach to securing Australia’s workforce; Teacher strikes in New South Wales; George Christensen; Holocaust comparisons; Australia’s position on a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics; Gladys Berejiklian; Queensland border reopening; HILDA report
E&OE-------------------------------------
MINISTER ROBERT:
Just finished meeting with the BCA and industry leaders, talking through the workforce challenges going forward, including the immediate measures the Morrison Government will be taking to alleviate those workforce shortages - making the point very clearly that the Government’s expectation is we give Australians on welfare payments, give them a shot.
This is about skilling Australians for Australian jobs, and we’re seeing that through our world-leading apprenticeship reforms with Boosting Apprenticeship Commencements. We now have over 220,000 Australian trade apprentices in training right now – the highest number since records have been kept in 1963.
And the Morrison Government will continue on our skills reform journey, on our New Employment Services Model to put Australians front and centre when it comes to employment, and when it comes to COVID recovery.
QUESTION:
What's your response to the teachers and transport workers in New South Wales for Sydney striking today? Are they being paid enough?
MINISTER ROBERT:
I think Australians have had enough of disruption. We're seeing more disruption today. Kids have been out of school for months and months and months. Today, children in New South Wales are out of school because of union disruption. I think we're over disruption. I think everyone wants to get back to normal, and I think we should all pull together in this respect.
QUESTION:
George Christensen has called on people to rally at Australian embassies to support anti-lockdown protesters. Why won't the Government rein him in?
MINISTER ROBERT:
I think we're over rallying. I think we're over any more protests. We just want to get back to normal - that's what we want to do. We don't encourage people to protest. People can exercise their civil rights in any way they wish. But we want Australians to travel safely, we want Australians to return, we want citizens to come back to the great city of Sydney where we're standing today - but we don't want any rallying.
QUESTION:
George Christensen laughed when Alex Jones compared COVID quarantine to long-term Auschwitz. Is that appropriate?
MINISTER ROBERT:
I haven't heard the comments, but on face value, we condemn any association to anything of the evil Nazi regime. It is completely and utterly inappropriate for anyone to make light of the Holocaust and the devastation it occurred. It is flat-out vile – it is condemned – as are any comments by anyone in that vein.
QUESTION:
Are George Christensen's actions a failure of leadership from the Prime Minister, as Labor have claimed?
MINISTER ROBERT:
George Christensen belongs to the National Party; I'll leave any comments to the leader of the National Party. That's where responsibility lies for any MPs within any party structure.
QUESTION:
Will Australia join the US diplomatic boycott of the Winter Olympics?
MINISTER ROBERT:
Those matters are under active consideration by Government.
QUESTION:
And how can Gladys Berejiklian be a good candidate for Warringah when she's got an ICAC investigation hanging over her head?
MINISTER ROBERT:
Gladys Berejiklian will be an outstanding candidate for Warringah. In Australia, the rule of law is you are innocent until proven guilty. The idea that you would judge a candidate because of a present and unproved accusation is not acceptable.
QUESTION:
But she- can she contest that seat in good faith, you know, if that inquiry isn’t complete yet?
MINISTER ROBERT:
Absolutely, Gladys Berejiklian can contest the seat of Warringah in good faith. She is innocent until proven guilty by a court of law in Australia. We seem to forget whilst accusations are thrown around, that an accusation is enough in this country. It is not. Australia is still responsible to, and responsive of the rule of law. And I think Gladys will make an outstanding contribution to the Federal Parliament.
QUESTION:
So to be clear, will Australia follow the US with boycotting the Olympics in China?
MINISTER ROBERT:
To be clear, again, the matter’s under active consideration.
QUESTION:
Five years ago, you were dumped from the Turnbull Ministry over business links to China. Do you still have business links with China?
MINISTER ROBERT:
Those matters have all been well addressed and declared as appropriate.
QUESTION:
Do you welcome bringing forward the Queensland border reopening?
MINISTER ROBERT:
Absolutely. I left when I came to Sydney two days ago, my twelfth home quarantine, I’m thankful for the opportunity to go into quarantine. When I go back, I'll go into my thirteenth quarantine. Borders opening on the 13th means that quarantine ends; but more importantly, thousands of Queenslanders locked out of their home will be able to cross the border and drive home. We need to reopen up. The Doherty modelling makes it very clear at 80 per cent we can open up, and it's good to see Queensland doing it.
QUESTION:
Can people of Queensland and their friends and family trust it's going to stay open for Christmas?
MINISTER ROBERT:
Well, the Doherty modelling says that's exactly what it is. The whole point of a national plan is we give confidence and certainty to families as well as to industry. And we need to stick to the national plan. You're seeing that in New South Wales, Victoria and ACT. We're now seeing that in, in Queensland at 80 per cent being reached. We all just need to lead into that national plan.
QUESTION
Sorry, can I get one more? There's a HILDA report today. The housing income survey shows disposable income grew by just 6 per cent between 2009 and 2017, but it jumped 28 per cent between 2001 and 2009. So disposable income is getting a lot, a lot smaller. What are you going to do to increase wage growth in the economy?
MINISTER ROBERT:
Well, wage growth flows out of productivity. It’s one of the great things about opening borders up to get economic activity running and driving. As the economy grows, we see wages starting to grow. And at the same time, we're also seeing $200 billion on personal balance sheets as a response to COVID and strong domestic consumption. Now, that’ll continue to occur as we drive our economic recovery forward.
QUESTION:
We're also seeing rising inflation, though, so it's sort of cancelling out the wage growth. So how do you deal with those two big economic drivers?
MINISTER ROBERT:
By growing your economy and growing productivity, and that's why it is so important. By increasing participation, especially amongst women. Hence, this morning's speech at the BCA, going through the initiatives the Government will put in place to drive that participation. Looking at the budget measures for increasing to childcare so that women are able to move back into the workforce. From next year, $11 billion is being spent through the childcare subsidy as a key economic participation measure especially for women.
Cheers.