MANUFACTURERS concerned at the government’s decision not to commission an inquiry into their future have been instead offered a one-day forum in Canberra to discuss the changing nature of employment.
Titled “Tomorrow’s Jobs – Staying Ahead of the Game”, and to be held immediately after the October tax summit, the snap forum will bring together about 80 experts from business, unions, governments and universities to discuss the future of manufacturing in an economy dominated by mining.
The Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, said while the mining boom and the transformation of Asia were “delivering tremendous benefits”, they were also “bringing challenges with the high dollar making conditions tougher for trade-exposed industries”.
The forum is seen as a way of getting ideas about manufacturing out, without an inquiry, which would raise expectations and stall decision making while it collected evidence.
The Treasurer, Wayne Swan, linked the forum to the rise in unemployment from 5 per cent to 5.3 per cent in the first two months of a financial year in which the budget had forecast a slide towards 4.75 per cent.
“There are still 140,000 more Australians employed today than there were 12 months ago,” he said. “Had employers met the increase in labour demand by hiring new workers rather than extending hours, we would have seen an additional 110,000 jobs created since the start of the year.”
The forum would discuss how to “build on our tremendous record of job creation and best position our nation to benefit from changes we’re seeing”.
The ACTU president, Ged Kearney, welcomed the move but said “employer groups gearing up for a new assault on workplace rights should not see it as another soapbox for their campaign to take Australia back to Work Choices”.
The Australian Industry Group chief, Heather Ridout, said talk was always useful but what was more important was finding the best policy approach sooner rather than later.
Greens MP Adam Bandt said workers deserved ”more than a one-day forum” and he would move for a proper inquiry into jobs and manufacturing.
The forum will be held in Parliament House on October 6.
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