The federal government’s two-day economic forum must aim for a more productive workforce in a balanced and resilient economy, Australian Industry Group (Ai Group) chief executive Innes Willox says.
The forum in Brisbane began with an address by Prime Minister Julia Gillard to over 100 delegates at a dinner on Tuesday.
Mr Willox said the challenge was to get the right skills in the right places at the right time, now and into the future.
“The choices we make in tackling this challenge will largely determine what type of workforce, indeed what type of economy we have in the future,” he said in a statement.
“We know that our prosperity hinges upon lifting our productivity and we also know that higher skill levels positively impact on productivity.”
He said there needed to be a major boost to lift language, literacy and numeracy levels in the workplace, but at the same time high speed broadband had the potential to transform business models, “possibly in ways not yet imagined”. This will be part of his message to the forum on Wednesday.
Other issues surround workplace relations. The Ai Group argues the need for the Fair Work Act to be much better aligned with the need for flexibility and productivity for the competitive challenges and opportunities ahead.
Ai Group also says that the carbon price from July 1 is too high and well above levels being paid by Australia’s competitors, while it calls on all political parties to commit to significant taxation reform including the reduction of the corporate tax rate to 25 per cent.
Australia must also cut back on red tape, while there needs to be both a short and long term approach to the current lopsided economic environment that is impacting on manufacturing.
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