Ms ANDERSON - 2005-10-20
Many Alice Springs businesses looking to hire new staff in order to grow their businesses are being hampered by the nationwide skills shortage. Will you please update the House on government’s efforts to support these businesses to find skilled staff and grow their business?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Macdonnell for her question. As Business minister - and it is great to see business people in the gallery today - the one issue that is facing business across the Northern Territory and across the nation, particularly in regional and remote Australia, is the skills shortage. It is across all sectors of the economy. It is a very real issue for a growing economy such as the Northern Territory’s at the moment.
At the Chief Minister’s Business Round Table that the Chief Minister and I attended in Alice Springs just a few weeks ago, it was the No 1 item for business at that round table.
We are facing this skills shortage with three strategic areas. The first one is the training of 10 000 new trainees and apprentices over four years as part of our Jobs Plan 2 government initiative. The second part of that is the Chief Minister’s Department’s skilled workers recruitment campaign, advertising nationally to bring workers to the Northern Territory. The third part of that, in my department, is our business and skilled migration strategy where the Territory government is investing $1m over the next two years to promote the Northern Territory overseas as the place to come and live for migrants who come to Australia.
The work is starting to pay off for Alice Springs business. I came across these numbers in a departmental brief the other day and they really are quite extraordinary in terms of how successful this program is in Alice Springs.
In 2003-04, my department assisted businesses in Alice Springs to bring in 19 skilled migrants from overseas. In 2004-05, that number grew to 48. To date in this financial year, we have already assisted business to sponsor 16 skilled migrants to fill job vacancies in Alice Springs. In 18 months, DBERD has assisted about 35 businesses in Alice Springs to sponsor a total of 83 overseas skilled workers. What does that mean when they bring their families in as well? One hundred and forty-seven new residents to Alice Springs, which is an absolutely magnificent outcome - 147 new residents along with 83 new skilled migrants into the community of Alice Springs.
Last night, in Alice Springs, during October Business Month, a seminar was held called Skilled Migration – It Can Work For You. Nineteen people attended and heard from Anglicare Director, Jim Holland, about how skilled migration has assisted his organisation. Jim has sponsored three people - financial counsellors and other professionals - from overseas to assist with Anglicare. It is across all sectors of the economy. I am sure this parliament wishes each and every one of the 147 new residents to Alice Springs from overseas a very warm welcome to the Territory.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Macdonnell for her question. As Business minister - and it is great to see business people in the gallery today - the one issue that is facing business across the Northern Territory and across the nation, particularly in regional and remote Australia, is the skills shortage. It is across all sectors of the economy. It is a very real issue for a growing economy such as the Northern Territory’s at the moment.
At the Chief Minister’s Business Round Table that the Chief Minister and I attended in Alice Springs just a few weeks ago, it was the No 1 item for business at that round table.
We are facing this skills shortage with three strategic areas. The first one is the training of 10 000 new trainees and apprentices over four years as part of our Jobs Plan 2 government initiative. The second part of that is the Chief Minister’s Department’s skilled workers recruitment campaign, advertising nationally to bring workers to the Northern Territory. The third part of that, in my department, is our business and skilled migration strategy where the Territory government is investing $1m over the next two years to promote the Northern Territory overseas as the place to come and live for migrants who come to Australia.
The work is starting to pay off for Alice Springs business. I came across these numbers in a departmental brief the other day and they really are quite extraordinary in terms of how successful this program is in Alice Springs.
In 2003-04, my department assisted businesses in Alice Springs to bring in 19 skilled migrants from overseas. In 2004-05, that number grew to 48. To date in this financial year, we have already assisted business to sponsor 16 skilled migrants to fill job vacancies in Alice Springs. In 18 months, DBERD has assisted about 35 businesses in Alice Springs to sponsor a total of 83 overseas skilled workers. What does that mean when they bring their families in as well? One hundred and forty-seven new residents to Alice Springs, which is an absolutely magnificent outcome - 147 new residents along with 83 new skilled migrants into the community of Alice Springs.
Last night, in Alice Springs, during October Business Month, a seminar was held called Skilled Migration – It Can Work For You. Nineteen people attended and heard from Anglicare Director, Jim Holland, about how skilled migration has assisted his organisation. Jim has sponsored three people - financial counsellors and other professionals - from overseas to assist with Anglicare. It is across all sectors of the economy. I am sure this parliament wishes each and every one of the 147 new residents to Alice Springs from overseas a very warm welcome to the Territory.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016