The Jobs and Skills Summit brought together representatives from business, education, unions and other key sectors to consider the challenges and opportunities facing the Australian labour market and economy.

The Victorian Chamber presented a joint position in a communique to the Summit which included the Ai Group, Minter Ellison, Australian Hotels Association, University of Melbourne, Swinburne University of Technology, Holmesglen Institute, Aurecon, Bendigo Kangan Institute, Dreamtime Art, Deakin University and Bunnings.

The Federal Government agreed on 36 initiatives to maximise jobs and opportunities in our industries and communities while also laying out priorities for further work and future action. Key to the outcomes are the objectives of reducing barriers to employment and advancement to build a bigger, better trained and more productive workforce.

Pleasingly, several of the communique’s recommendations were heeded. In particular, the Federal Government has pledged:

1. 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;
2. 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;
3. Improving access to jobs and training pathways for women, First Nations peoples, regional Australians and culturally and linguistically diverse people, including equity targets for training places and other measures to reduce barriers to employment;
4. An increase in the permanent migration program ceiling to 195,000 in 2022-23 to help ease widespread, critical workforce shortages and
5. 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.

There have been media reports around other items that have resulted from the Summit. Once confirmed, VCCI will assess these on merit and provide a business contextualised response to our members before engaging with the Federal Government.

Victorian Chamber Chief Executive Paul Guerra said: “The Victorian Chamber is pleased that the Jobs and Skills Summit considered Victoria’s perspective and welcomes several initiatives that align with our areas of advocacy.

“We know that improved outcomes for female and Indigenous workplace participation, extended skilled migration and student intake, as well as concessions for the aged workforce will be crucial to addressing the skills shortage, boosting our economy and enhancing our community.

“The Victorian Chamber remains committed to working in partnership with both Federal and State Governments and other stakeholders to identify short, medium and long-term solutions that will build better jobs, skills, workplaces and communities for future generations.”

The full list of immediate actions, areas for further work and complementary existing commitments established at the Summit can be found via the Jobs and Skills Summit September 2022 Outcomes page.

As Victoria prepares for the 2022 State Election in November, the Victorian Chamber will continue to advocate for improved business outcomes that will establish Victoria as a key driver of economic prosperity in Australia.