Skills Training

Ms SAVVAS (Newland) (14:36): Can the Premier update the house about how the government is investing in skilling?

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! I am going to permit the question.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS (Croydon—Premier) (14:36): I want to thank the member for Newland for her question. The member for Newland I know has spent a fair bit of time in her electorate talking to local businesses lately, and the member for Newland has made it clear to me that the questions that have been raised with her, the issues that have been elevated for her consideration amongst businesses in her community, are the same that we get everywhere we go on this side of the house around our great state.

We've got the lowest unemployment rate in South Australia that we have ever experienced in our history. Never before has the unemployment rate been lower than it is today. That is an outstanding statistic. It is an outstanding demonstration of how strong the South Australian labour market is, but for businesses in the member for Newland's electorate and elsewhere it means it is hard at the moment to find access to skilled labour.

We have an extraordinary pipeline of work coming our state's way in almost every sector, but it is particularly true when we think about just the big projects, for instance: whether it be the Women's and Children's Hospital, the completion of the north-south corridor or, of course, the naval shipbuilding work we have down at Osborne. There is a pipeline of demand for skilled labour in this state unlike anything we have ever seen, so now is the time that this government decides to make one of the biggest investments in skills we have ever seen in our past.

The Minister for Education, Training and Skills has been working overtime in recent time to land a historic agreement with the commonwealth that sets us up for the next five years—a $2.5 billion investment in skills and training in our state, over $400 million of which is brand-new money that this state government has contributed to more skills in the hospitality sector, more skills in the construction trades, more skills in renewable energy, more skills in advanced manufacturing. We are heeding the call of the employers who exist in Newland and in every other seat around the state.

We understand that right now in South Australia the biggest constraint to economic growth isn't a lack of demand but a lack of access to labour that is skilled. The only way we are going to address that is if we invest in it. We on this side of the house believe that you don't have to go to university to have a great job, you don't have to go to university to have a good life with an outstanding standard of living, but you can improve your standard of living through the acquisition of an apprenticeship or a trade or some other degree of skill that is desperately in need out in the economy today.

So that's why we are so grateful to be able to partner with the commonwealth with this step change investment, but it's not the only one. This comes on top of the free TAFE places that this government has invested in. This is on top of our commitment to reinvest in trade schools and technical colleges in our high schools. This government is serious about investing in trade and skills.

These are the types of investments that can make a material difference, not just for employers but also for the individuals who acquire this knowledge through the state government's investments. These are life-changing policies for the people who are the beneficiaries of them; 150,000 young South Australians will be the beneficiaries of this $2 billion agreement, of this record investment from our state, because we believe in our young people. We believe they deserve the opportunity for a good job in a growing economy.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!