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Julia Clark Downs
Meet the REAL elite of Australia as 140 of the country’s most powerful political and business leaders – and some unexpected faces – gather for Anthony Albanese’s jobs and skills summit… so will anything get done?
- Anthony Albanese has launched his jobs and skills summit with over 140 guests
- Attendees include Australia’s richest businessmen, unionists and politicians
- Qantas CEO Alan Joyce was invited despite calls for boycott from former staff
- All of Australia’s state premiers attended at the front across from Mr Albanese
A Who’s Who of Australian business, political and union leaders descended on Canberra on Thursday morning for Anthony Albanese‘s highly anticipated Jobs and Skills summit.
Qantas boss Alan Joyce, Fortescue Metals chairman Andrew Forrest and Australian of the Year Dylan Alcott were among the 140 attendees sitting in the Great Hall in Parliament House.
Australia’s state premiers were afforded a front row seat at the summit to address Australia’s labour shortages and limited wage growth, among other economic challenges.
Australia’s state premiers sat at the front of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s summit, opposite Mr Albanese’s table (pictured left to right, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszcuk and WA Premier Mark McGowan)
The Premiers were given a front table at the jobs and skills summit across from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s table
Australia’s state premiers sat together at the front of the summit (left to right, QLD’s Palaszcuk, NT’s Fyles, VIC’s Andrews and ACT’s Barr (right)
Mr Forrest, also the co-founder of The Minderoo Foundation, used the summit to call for more women to enter the workforce.
He said female workers are the ‘unsung giants’ behind Australian labour and said his company will focus on hiring women in a ‘major drive’.
Mr Alcott called for industry leaders to tap into people living with disabilities when considering a market for Australia’s critical labour shortage.
‘There’s so many opportunities to get out there and work at the moment, yet it’s not really translating into people with disability getting that chance,’ he said.
‘We need to have the opportunity to get out there and have a crack.’
Qantas CEO Alan Joyce (above) was invited to the jobs and skills summit despite calls for a boycott from union leaders and ex-staff
Australia’s richest man Andrew ‘Twiggy’ Forrest (above) attended the jobs and skills summit
Mr Alcott is one of 33 community representatives at the jobs and skills summit in Canberra
Under-fire Qantas CEO Mr Joyce appeared at the summit amid mounting criticism against his airline.
Mr Joyce was seated towards the back of the summit. Union officials and ex-Qantas workers said his presence at the event ‘completely undermines’ its purpose, after the company outsourced thousands of baggage handler jobs.
‘Alan Joyce’s participation tomorrow should be limited to explaining the ways in which Qantas has taken a lead role in pocketing billions in taxpayer welfare and breaking laws,’ Transport Workers Union national secretary Michael Kaine said.
Sydney-based tech co-CEO and billionaire Scott Farquhar also received an invitation to the summit and has pledged to hire 1,000 tech professionals in Australia and New Zealand in the next 12 months.
‘We want to find experienced people in Australia, whether that’s from a big bank or a software company, or from people who haven’t been in the technology industry,’ he said.
Mr Farquhar co-founds tech giant Atlassian alongside Mike Cannon-Brookes.
Mr Farquhar said he will hire 1,000 tech professionals in Australia and New Zealand in the next 12 months
Business Council of Australia Chief Executive Jennifer Westacott (above) spoke to reporters outside the summit
Business Council of Australia Chief Executive Jennifer Westacott spoke to reporters outside the summit alongside Australian Council of Trade unionist Sally McManus and Australian Council of Trade Unions President Michele O’Neil.
In a passionate speech Ms McManus said everyday Aussies are ‘experiencing the largest real wage cut in history’ while many businesses boast ‘very healthy profits’.
‘That’s not a future Australians would choose for themselves or the next generation. They see the unfairness, we can do so much better,’ she said.
Australian Council of Trade Unions President Michele O’Neil (left) was invited to Mr Albanese’s the jobs and skills summit
Australian Banking Association (ABA) CEO Anna Bligh attends the Jobs and Skills Summit at Parliament House in Canberra
‘We have to modernise the collective bargaining system. We need a system that is simple, fair, accessible, does the job of getting wages moving.’
Nationals Party Leader David Littleproud was sat next to James Cook University Professor Allan Dale and Alison Barnes from the National Tertiary Education Union.
Mr Littleproud was the one of few Coalition members to accept an invitation to the summit and was sat at the back of the room.
Nationals Party Leader David Littleproud (above) sat at the back of the summit alongside two educational leaders
Mr Albanese was sat at the front of the summit alongside Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Finance Minister Katy Gallagher.
The prime minister and treasurer kicked off the summit by reminding business owners to avoid rehashing old issues and ‘dig deeper trenches on the same old battlefields’.
‘This summit, this prime minister and this government, and I think this country, is all about one thing: bringing people together to confront the big challenges in our economy and our society,’ Mr Chalmers said.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (right), Treasurer Jim Chalmers (centre) and Finance Minister Katy Gallagher sat at the front of the summit
Another Australian billionaire at the summit was Anthony Pratt, CEO of recycling and packaging company Visy.
Mr Pratt is Australia’s second-richest man and was seated in the back row.
He is one of about 52 industry figureheads at the summit representing thousands of Australian businesses.
Australia’s second-richest man Anthony Pratt (above), CEO of recycling and packaging company Visy, sat towards the back of the summit
Former Australia Post CEO and current Toll head Christine Holgate also attended the summit.
Last week Ms Holgate sensationally claimed Scott Morrison’s secret ministry appointments affected the inquiry which saw her fired from Australia Post for buying executives expensive Catier watches.
‘There was supposed to be an independent review into my situation which was led by the finance department,’ she said.
‘We now find out that Mr Morrison was the minister of the finance department under that review. It doesn’t sound very independent to me.’
Former Australia Post CEO Christine Holgate (above) attended the summit after sensationally claiming Scott Morrison’s secret appointments lead to her unfair dismissal from the postal service
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner June Oscar, Equality Institute Executive Director Emma Fulu, Australian Council of Trade Unions Presidents Michele O’Neil, RMT University Doctor Leonora Risse and Finance Minister Katy Gallagher posed for a selfie at the summit
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