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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2011-03-09 Daily Xml
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INDUSTRY CAPABILITY NETWORK

Mr SIBBONS (Mitchell) (15:10): When governments team up with local industry, great things happen and community benefits. An important player in this scenario is the Industry Capability Network or ICN. Established in 1985, and funded by the South Australian government through the Department of Trade and Economic Development, the ICN promotes and supports local businesses, especially by facilitating their participation in major projects.

Overall, the ICN's role is well summed up, according to its website, as 'matching buyers with suppliers, helping local businesses access opportunities while saving purchasers and project managers time and money'.

Earlier this month, I attended and spoke at the ICN's first Breakfast Series event of 2011 and experienced first-hand the power of such potential partnerships. On this occasion, it was a gathering of businesses who could potentially supply products, services and know-how for the Southern Expressway duplication. More than 140 companies and organisations were represented among the crowd of 200 who attended. The event was so successful that registrations had to be closed off and a waiting list started two weeks before the event.

As I said that morning, for me, the Southern Expressway project is about one thing, and that is opportunity: opportunity for local jobs, opportunity for local business, and opportunity for outstanding community engagement—overall, a much-needed opportunity for people who live and work in the south. The southern region of Adelaide has been identified as an area for residential and employment growth in the30-Year Plan For Greater Adelaide 2010. During the next 30 years, the southern region is expected to grow, with an additional 54,500 homes, 104,000 more residents and 55,000 more local jobs.

Most of this growth will occur in the City of Marion and the City of Onkaparinga. The Southern Expressway duplication project will improve the road network capacity in the southern region so that it can handle expected traffic volume increases as a result of this anticipated growth. The duplication will be critical in ensuring that this growth is sustainable and that people in the south have good access to employment, education, shopping and community facilities.

There will be an estimated 1,500 workers employed on the duplication project and the state government aims for at least half of these jobs to be given to people living in the south. Following the duplication announcement, a task force was established, led by Leon Bignell, MP for Mawson, to ensure that these local employment targets are reached.

In addition, this task force aims to ensure that at least 200 jobs are filled by young or disadvantaged people living in the south, and that the young people working on the project are trained in new skills and trades that they can use for the rest of their lives. The task force includes representatives from the Department for Transport, Energy and Infrastructure, local government, elected members of parliament, the Office for the Southern Suburbs, Flinders University and the Civil Contractors Federation.

The south has faced exceptionally tough times in terms of employment over the past decade including the closure of Port Stanvac and Mitsubishi's two plants. I have personally seen the impact that this has had on the broader community, as well as the many families directly impacted by these redundancies. It is not surprising then, given the recent history, that industry, service and employment providers are ready and willing to get involved with the duplication project. DTEI has also set up an online registration form so that individuals interested in employment through the project can easily register their details.

The majority of the jobs will begin when the project enters the construction phase at the end of this year. Again, this is about bringing the people of the South with us, embracing the many opportunities that this project will present, and working together with all levels of government, industry and the community to maximise the benefits this project can bring.

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