CEO Update: Australian Jobs and Skills Summit

The Federal Government's  Jobs and Skills Summit has come to a close with more than 30 immediate initiatives in place, and a white paper recommending further measures to come.

ADIA participated in several roundtables with MPs and other stakeholders in the lead-up to the Summit, to ensure members’ interests and concerns were effectively represented at the event.

The Summit addressed labour shortages, the ongoing impact of COVID-19 on the job market, and pathways to broaden the skillset of those entering the workforce, while maintaining the Labor Government's commitment to ‘full employment, productivity growth, and equal opportunities for women’.

Thirty-six initiatives are in motion following the Summit last week including:

• An increase in the permanent Migration Program ceiling to 195,000 in 2022-23 to help ease widespread, critical workforce shortages;
   
• Extending visas and relaxing work restrictions on international students to strengthen the pipeline of skilled labour, and providing additional funding to resolve the visa backlog;
   
• An additional $1 billion in joint Federal-State funding for fee-free TAFE in 2023 and accelerated delivery of 465,000 fee-free TAFE places; and
   
• A one-off income credit so that Age Pensioners who want to work can earn an additional $4,000 over this financial year without losing any of their pension.

You can read the outcome of the Jobs and Skills Summit, including immediate actions and areas for further work here.

ADX Brisbane Update

There are now more than 2,000 registrations for our first ADX event in Brisbane.

If you are planning to host your clients while you are in Queensland, consider the ADX Opening Breakfast. Our keynote speaker, Gus Balbontin, an alternative futurist, investor and adventurer is sure to inject enthusiasm and adrenaline into the audience before they hit the exhibition floor. Register for tickets and table discounts here.

I encourage you to invite your Queensland contacts (use our script and collateral here) to experience your brand in the ADX environment and see all you have to offer.

If you would like to get in contact about the Jobs and Skills Summit or other advocacy matters, please don’t hesitate to contact me via email.