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Page: 36
Senator BARNETT (11:17 AM)
—I rise to speak on the same topic: the report by the Senate Standing Committee on Employment, Workplace Relations and Education entitled Workforce challenges in the transport industry. Firstly, I want to thank all members of the committee and, in particular, the chairman, Senator Judith Troeth, for her leadership. I note the camaraderie and the support that we had from all sides on that inquiry. It was illuminating for me. I learnt a great deal. I acknowledge other members of the Senate, including Senator Sterle, who have a special interest in this matter. It is part of his history and experience. The committee went to various parts of Australia. As I said, I learnt a great deal from the evidence of the witnesses and the various submissions that were presented to the committee.
I note the chairman’s comments in the preface about the support of all members of the Senate committee for this report and the summary of findings and recommendations. Before noting the important findings and recommendations, I want to acknowledge John Carter, the secretary of the committee, and Monika, for their work and their team. I thank them for their support over the many months.
I want to highlight that, in the report, the committee found that there are workforce challenges facing every sector of the transport industry—roads and railways, shipping and aviation. The report notes:
To varying degrees, industry finds difficulty attracting and retaining employees, and particularly young employees, whose entry into the industry is necessary to replace a workforce which is ageing and looking to retirement. Younger workers are deterred by poor industry image, more attractive career prospects in other industries (particularly mining), and lack of coordination and appropriateness of training regimes.
These problems add further operational pressure to employers who are already facing tight profit margins, and who may sometimes struggle under complex regulatory and compliance regimes. A particular difficulty here relates to the variations in transport related legislation and regulation between different jurisdictions.
That was patently clear at the various committee meetings that we had. The report goes on:
The need to address these workforce challenges is becoming urgent in the face of estimates that the national freight task will double by 2020.
That is an amazing statistic and a concerning one. The report continues:
There is a critical relationship between Australia’s reliance on commodities for economic growth, a successful commodities industry and effective transport and logistics. It is vital that these workforce challenges, which may compromise the transport industry’s effectiveness, be addressed.
Some action has been taken, by both industry and government stakeholders, and the committee commends this progress. However, much work remains to be done, and the recommendation of this report may serve as a guide in where effort, investment and policy focus should be directed at the highest priorities.
I support the report and commend it to the Senate.
Question agreed to.