Nickolas Varvaris (Barton, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the House for the opportunity to speak on this matter of public importance today, and I thank the member for Blaxland for creating the chance for all of us to have a conducive and robust discussion on planning for jobs for current and future generations of Australians.

Australia is a generous and prosperous nation that provides equal access to opportunity for all people. Opportunities such as access to quality primary and secondary education and tertiary qualifications all enable individuals to obtain a job in the future. We believe in rewarding based on effort. We believe that equipping a person with the skills they need should be the basis what we as parliamentarians and law makers do. We want to facilitate and enable the right conditions in which people are afforded the opportunity to seek learning and training so that they are job-ready now and into the future.

All jobs are valuable to our national economy and, more so, to a person's sense of identity and esteem. However, in order for all Australians to be able to find work, years of planning and coordination is required from all levels of government. We need to have the right framework in place so that our teachers can provide the essential skills necessary for young people from early education to higher education. We must also enable opportunities outside of the traditional classroom for students to further develop their knowledge and life experience to transition from learning in a classroom to the workplace. Regulation and legislation that we enact must be able to reflect the needs of the marketplace, employers, workers and students.

I note that many of those on the coalition side actively lobby for incentives for job creation so that more local jobs can be created and, for those who live outside of the CBD, to minimise travelling time. We are living in times of intense competition and global mobility, but this also means we are living in times with more opportunities and, as such, we need to expand our horizons and have the ability to forecast and plan for jobs of the future.

We are a government that have the best interests of small business at heart, businesses which employ local people. Small businesses are the engine room of the economy and provide the bulk of employment opportunities. It is their innovative and entrepreneurial spirit which ensures the viability of our nation's economy. By ensuring that small businesses continue to have the jobs of the future, our Jobs and Small Business package will help small businesses invest and grow. We will reduce the red tape and bureaucracy that stifle so many opportunities for businesses. We want to encourage our entrepreneurs to continue to take risks and be rewarded, not punished. After all, governments do not create jobs; businesses do.

In addition, we are planning and investing in the right infrastructure around this country to ensure that business can have their goods delivered, that customers and employees can cut travel time and that there is increased productivity all around because roads are not clogged with drivers—that is, employers and employees trying to get from A to B.

Our close ties with regional neighbours, particularly our trading partners in Asia, such as China, Korea and Japan, further stipulate the need for jobs to be aligned with learning and training programs in place so students have the opportunity to obtain the jobs of their dreams. To ensure we remain a smart nation, our students must be able to learn from the best and have the opportunity to reach out to the world.

This side of the House are firmly committed in our plans to building a strong, safe and prosperous future for all Australians. This side of the House are systematically delivering opportunities at all stages of a child's life—in preschools, primary schools and secondary schools, as well as in tertiary institutions and training colleges—that provide the needed skills of prospective employees.

The coalition is delivering the opportunities to address the importance of planning for the jobs of the future. For example, from 2016, Commonwealth funding will be informed by the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability so that all students with disability are funded in the same manner, regardless of the state or territory they live in. Students with a disability will receive the extra support they need, with a record $1.3 billion being provided in 2015-16.

For those in our vocational system, the coalition will deliver a strong system that is sustainable and world-class, including cracking down on colleges that do not provide quality training. We will ensure that quality and equity is at the forefront of our higher education system so that quality is never diluted and graduates are equipped with the knowledge and skills needed for their future employment. We are the party that will ensure our schools produce bright pupils and that the best and brightest of teachers are attracted to teach them. It is the coalition that understand the importance of planning for the jobs of the future.

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