Manufacturing Jobs Motion

Speaking in support of a manufacturing jobs motion put forward by the Opposition, Abigail today spoke of the short-sightedness of the Government’s continued obsession with coal at the expense of a jobs-rich renewable energy sector.

Ms ABIGAIL BOYD (11:40): I make a brief contribution on this motion, which The Greens support, and I thank the Hon. Penny Sharpe for bringing it on for debate today. It is the Government's responsibility and role in our economy to plan ahead to ensure that everyone in our State who wants a job has one. That means assessing the outlook for industries, looking at where transitions out of dying or unsustainable industries are required and ensuring that workers are not left behind. It means committing to free and accessible tertiary education and skills training, to reskill and upskill workers, and providing opportunities in new and existing industries and new projects for those workers.

The massive investment required in our State's infrastructure gives the Government a golden opportunity to provide tens of thousands of new local jobs for the people of New South Wales. To be outsourcing these projects and denying the opportunity of jobs for those needing them most is another massive mistake by this Government. Killing off tens of thousands of jobs in the process goes beyond simple economic mismanagement. It shows a negligent indifference to the plight of those people doing it tough across New South Wales. As to the amendment moved by the Hon. Mark Latham, which appears to hijack a discussion about manufacturing jobs to push outdated and uninformed notions about energy policy, the answer of course is not to continue propping up dying and unsustainable industries. It is to plan sensible transitions away from those industries towards other opportunities for sustainable twenty-first century smart industries in a way that does not leave workers behind. Doggedly—and I use that word in honour of the International Day of the Dog—hanging on to industries of the past is of no long‑term benefit to our economy or our society.

Read the full transcript on Hansard here.

A UNIVERSAL WELLBEING PAYMENT FOR NSW

No matter who you are or what you do, everyone has the right to share in the wellbeing of our country.

But at the moment the essentials so many of us need – a place to call home, food on the table, and everyday essentials like electricity, internet, medicine and water – are simply out of reach.

Instead of supporting us, our government is choosing to prop up huge corporations with massive subsidies, and to give away our collective wealth through record tax cuts for the wealthy. Meanwhile, the rest of us are left to live paycheck to paycheck or trapped in the dehumanising bureaucracy of our existing welfare system.

Now, in the midst of a pandemic, and following quickly on the heels of the bushfire crisis, more of us than ever before are experiencing what it’s like to lose our jobs, be without a home, or worry about where the food for our next meal will come from.

It’s time for us to choose to prioritise the wellbeing of everyone.

And that’s exactly what the Universal Wellbeing Payment will do.

It’s a regular payment made to each of us to ensure our minimum standard of wellbeing. No means testing, no bureaucracy, no strings attached.

It’s the amount you’re owed simply for being a participant in our society.

It means you are free to live your life and contribute to society as you see fit, whether you’re a carer, an artist, a student, a parent, an entrepreneur – you can get on with what you need to do, knowing that you will always be supported regardless of your income.

It means that we’re choosing to structure our economy for the benefit of all of us, not using our collective wealth to prop up the interests of big business and the wealthy few.

It means you will always have what you need to live a good life, no matter what.

The Universal Wellbeing Payment is for everyone. Help us make it happen.

For more information, head to universalwellbeingpayment.com.au

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Manufacturing Jobs Motion

A UNIVERSAL WELLBEING PAYMENT FOR NSW

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