Sam Lim (Tangney, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. How would a jobs and skills summit provide benefit to Australians over the long term?

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you very much for the question. I thank the member for Tangney—a fine member who got a double-digit swing to enter this chamber and who is doing a fantastic job as part of our expanded Western Australian team.

The fact is that the Jobs and Skills Summit was a huge success, because it brought together business and unions; it brought together states and the Commonwealth. And it was inclusive. One of the good things about the summit wasn't just that you had leaders of industry, leaders of the trade union movement, leading people throughout society, advancing their views, it was the contributions of many people who I hadn't seen before and hadn't met before—people like Isaiah Dawe. He's the CEO of ID. Know Yourself. He's an Indigenous man who grew up in foster care, and he lived in 17 different homes in his first 18 years—17 different homes in just 18 years. But here he was, speaking in front of the cabinet of Australia, premiers, chief ministers, captains of industry, about his experience and the importance of getting into the workforce.

Stephanie Agnew, from Get Skilled Access, spoke about her experience as a young woman of losing her vision in her 20s. She spoke about her very personal experience of, essentially, working at a real estate agency and what occurred with people engaging in activity which I think most Australians would find reprehensible as she was losing her sight—moving things around the office so that she couldn't find the things that she took to work, like her lunch and other activities. She spoke about her experience, though, and her capacity now that she is rising up to the executive ranks of her new business that she is involved with.

Dr Claire Naughtin, from the CSIRO, spoke about scientific innovation and the need to commercialise the breakthroughs that occur in this country.

It was a very constructive, positive event over those two days. People came, in good spirit and with goodwill, to talk about how we meet the challenges together as a nation—how we work and move forward in a united way, rather than in a divided way. That's why I think the implications of the summit will go on for a long time to come.