How will the outcome of the 2022 Federal Election affect Australian jobs and skills?
Invest in an Australian manufacturing sector for new industries
Labor
Liberal
Invest in establishing an Australian manufacturing sector for new industries such as green metals (steel, alumina and aluminium); clean energy component manufacturing; hydrogen electrolysers and fuel switching; agricultural methane reduction and waste reduction.
Provide up to $15 billion of capital to invest in job-creating projects through loans, equity and guarantees in resources, agriculture, transport, medical science, defence capability, enabling capabilities and renewables and low emissions technologies.
Prioritise Australian manufacturing businesses in government contracts
Labor
Liberal
Maximise the use of Australian-made goods, products and materials in Commonwealth contracts.
Commit to building new trains, trams and ferries in Australia
Labor
Liberal
Ensure that more trains are built in Australia by local manufacturing workers and that every dollar of Federal funding spent on rail projects goes towards creating local jobs and protecting our rail industry.
Over the next two decades significant investment is planned in passenger, freight and light rail infrastructure across Australia. By making sure as much as possible of this investment is spent in Australia, we can help retain the skills and the jobs the sector needs here at home.
Fix the NBN
Labor
Liberal
Secure more Australian families and businesses quality, high speed internet by expanding full-fibre NBN access to 1.5 million premises.
Give 90 per cent of Australians — over 10 million premises — access to world-class gigabit speeds by 2025.
keep the NBN in public hands, keeping internet costs for families affordable while ensuring improvements to the network.
Prioritise local jobs for all defence contracts
Labor
Liberal
Prioritise local jobs for defence contracts with a Defence Industry Development Strategy.
Over the next decade, there is $270 billion of defence spending on the books. By maximising local content we will create jobs and establish a local defence manufacturing sector.
Prioritise secure jobs in government contracts
Labor
Liberal
Introduce a Secure Australian Jobs Code to ensure that taxpayers’ money being spent through government contracts is being used to support secure employment for Australian workers.
Invest in skills through 465,000 fee-free TAFE places
Labor
Liberal
Create 465,000 fee free TAFE places – including 45,000 new places.
Make sure at least 70% of all public funding for vocational education goes to TAFE to strengthen our public education system.
Deliver $50 million to boost technology on campuses, creating world-leading TAFE training centres.
Ensure one in ten workers on major government projects is an apprentice, trainee or cadet
Labor
Liberal
Ensure one in ten workers on major government projects is an apprentice, trainee or cadet.
(The current government’s unfair Building Code prohibits quotas of apprentices and other groups, which means less apprentices get to work on big projects and negatively affects our future skilled workforce).
Comment
Labor’s plan focusses on the energy sector, training the next generation of skilled energy workers, upskilling existing workers and creating hundreds of thousands of Australian jobs. Labor has committed to rebuilding Australian manufacturing.
The Morrison Government hasn’t explained how they will fund major projects, who will own them and if it will be a requirement that an Australian workforce builds them. Under the Morrison Government, there are 70,000 fewer people doing an apprenticeship or traineeship than a decade ago.
Authorised by M. Wright, Electrical Trades Union Division, Sydney