Marion Scrymgour (Lingiari, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak about a great development and work being done in my home community on the Tiwi Islands. Last year, a community workforce plan was delivered by the Tiwi Islands Training & Employment Board. I want to thank the board, in particular the CEO, Maria Harvey, for this important work, which sets out a framework for Tiwi jobs over the next two years.

The Tiwi Islands, in my electorate, face a unique set of challenges when it comes to employment and the cost of living. High prices at supermarkets, lower levels of education and poorer services mean that good, steady employment can be a real challenge. This has meant significantly lower average incomes on the Tiwi Islands compared to the rest of the country. It was for those reasons that it was so important to boost employment on Tiwi. Jobs provide a level of security, confidence and experience that has the power to change lives.

My home, the Tiwi Islands, is a great place with a lot of great opportunities, but it will take real action on the ground to fulfil those opportunities. What does that look like? We know that public and private investment is needed to help bring jobs to the islands. We also know that education and school attendance are big issues standing in the way of employment for so many people. Work in these areas will be very important for jobs in the short and long term.

The plan outlines another truth that applies to so many situations in my electorate. The best outcomes come from programs which are community based, culturally safe and have maximum local involvement. When people in this place talk about jobs, it's often more than simple slogans. But our government, the Labor government, is delivering real jobs through our rural jobs employment development program. On Tiwi, 12 local employers across both islands have become successful applicants. In a region of only 2,400 people, this is a real success. These jobs span all different kinds of industries, from manufacturing to administration, agriculture and the arts. Remote employment can and should be meaningful, interesting and diverse work, with good pay and conditions. I'm glad that we've funded jobs which allow people to access the security and the freedom that steady employment brings. As the plan notes, some of these jobs will be done by Tiwi people for the first time, helping to boost literacy, language, numeracy and digital skills that are so critical for future employment.

Once again, I thank the Tiwi Islands Training & Employment Board, CEO Maria Harvey and all of the staff that work across both islands in the Tiwi Islands for all the important work that they do on the islands and for their workforce plan, which for the first time sets out very clearly the future education and employment of our youth. I want to acknowledge all the researchers, community members and stakeholders who helped bring the plan together. I look forward not only to going home and sitting down with all of my mob on the Tiwi Islands but to seeing employment go from strength to strength over the next few years.

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