Jobs and Skills Summit
The Jobs and Skills Summit, held in Canberra 1-2 September 2022, brought Australians together to work on the challenges and opportunities facing the Australian labour market and economy.
More than 100 roundtables held prior to the Summit in communities across the country called for ideas and an open, constructive approach to addressing our nation’s big economic challenges. RDA BSW Chair and Deputy Chair attended a roundtable with regional development Minister Kristy McBain to put forward advice on constraints and opportunities relating to our region’s workforce. The RDA BSW Committee recently met in Warrnambool to hear from speakers across the country and discuss opportunities to strengthen our workforce. Ideas and suggestions will be explored over the next year to develop an Employment White Paper to help shape Australia’s labour market.
Immediate actions from the Summit to help build a bigger, better trained, more productive workforce and boost wages include:
- 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.
- A one-off income credit so Age Pensioners who want to work can earn an additional $4,000 over this financial year without losing any of their pension.
- More flexibly utilising $575 million in the National Housing Infrastructure Facility to invest in social and affordable housing, and attract financing from superannuation funds and other sources of private capital.
- Improving access to jobs and training pathways for women, First Nations people, regional Australians and culturally and linguistically diverse people, including equity targets for training places, 1,000 digital apprenticeships in the Australian Public Service, and other measures to reduce barriers to employment.
- An increase in the permanent Migration Program ceiling to 195,000 in 2022-23 to help ease widespread, critical workforce shortages.
- 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.
The Employment White Paper will invite submissions and engage the wider community over the next 12 months. The Commonwealth Government will release the terms of reference for the White Paper and begin accepting submissions in the next few weeks.
Key and Essential Worker Housing
In 2019, Councils of the Great South Coast and Barwon regions (Colac Otway, Surf Coast, Glenelg, Moyne, Corangamite, and Southern Grampians Shires), together with the Victorian Planning Authority (VPA), identified actions to improve the quality and quantity of affordable and appropriate housing for key workers.
Moyne Shire led the project on behalf of the LGAs to deliver the BSW Key and Essential Worker Housing Supply Action Plan (2020).
In 2021, with funding provided from RDA BSW and seven LGAs across the region, Moyne Shire led a second piece of work to deliver Barwon South West Key Worker Housing road map to advance the findings and recommendations from the initial report.
In a true regional collaboration, the project has brought together representatives from across LGAs, State Government and the Commonwealth to find tangible solutions to overcome a long-standing barrier to economic growth. Financial institutions and housing associations have also taken part in consultations.
The 2021 report has defined the underlying financial, risk, investment, administrative, policy and legal conditions that need to be addressed to help deliver key worker housing.
Seven potential key worker housing sites have been identified with the capacity to support 172 key worker dwellings and 310 key worker bedrooms. Most sites are within major towns that provide easy access to industry and established amenity.
Community housing providers are ready to partner with Federal and State Governments and Councils to deliver and manage key worker housing. The sites provide a unique opportunity to progress the growth of the affordable housing sector and for community housing to diversify and deepen their tenant base and asset portfolio.
Delivering these key worker sites will boost labour supply, social mobility and directly grow the regional economy by an estimated $51 million per annum. G21 applauds this successful collaboration and will continue advocating for more investment in social and affordable housing as a priority.
The ABC is supporting young regional voices and ideas to be heard
Applications are now open for the ABC’s Trailblazers program in 2023, which showcases the stories of regional Australia’s brightest new leaders.
Who can apply to be a Trailblazer?
Individuals and groups of up to three, aged 18-28, who are initiating projects that create positive change in their communities. From young community leaders to social entrepreneurs, advocates to event organisers, ABC Trailblazers are looking for young people with a commitment to strengthening their regional communities.
What do Trailblazers receive?
- The chance to have their work featured on the ABC.
- Exclusive opportunities to apply for Trailblazer Development Fund grants, a partnership with the Sally Foundation and the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal.
- Extensive networking, media and leadership opportunities.
Applications close Thursday 20th of October, 2022. To apply, visit abc.net.au/trailblazers.
Land and Housing Supply Indicators report released
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has recently published its quarterly report on ‘Land and Housing Supply Indicators’. The data provides insight into the diversity and intensity of land use in Australia’s urban areas, including how planning policies and land availability affect new housing supply.
The outputs include:
- Counts of the number of land parcels, by planning zone and size.
- Number of dwellings approved, by planning zone and site area per dwelling.
There is also information on selected Significant Urban Areas (SUAs) at the Statistical Level 2 and Local Government Area levels. To read the ABS Land and Housing Supply report, visit: Land and Housing Supply Indicators, 2022 | Australian Bureau of Statistics (abs.gov.au)
In addition, the first release of the quarterly ABS Estimated Dwelling Stock is planned for 31 October 2022.
For more information on all ABS reports and their release dates, visit: Monthly calendar | Australian Bureau of Statistics (abs.gov.au).
About RDA BSW
RDA BSW regularly provides advice to the Australian Government and is committed to working with stakeholders across the region on critical development issues that positively and negatively affect the region.
For more information, please contact the RDA Barwon South West regional office on 1800 950 145 or visit the RDA BSW website. You can also follow us on LinkedIn.