The South Australian Business Chamber congratulates the new Malinauskas Labor Government. Over recent years, you have have taken a genuine interest in the local business community and you have listened. We look forward to building a close, constructive and productive working relationship with you as you take the reins in South Australia.
Throughout the election campaign, the South Australian Business Chamber welcomed many of the State Labor Party’s announcements. Over the forward years, we look forward to holding them to account to deliver those promises for the South Australian business community.
Labor’s industry participation policy will ensure that more of the $11b state government annual spend goes to local South Australian businesses. This is vitally important and the South Australian Business Chamber notes that the South Australian Industry Advocate has already brought these issues to the table. This is a tremendous opportunity for the Malinauskas Government to shift the focus of the South Australian public service to not just squeeze the tender price down, but to ensure that value is derived throughout the entire life of the project or asset. This especially applies for South Australia’s sustainability, renewable energy and circular economy sectors.
As the peak independent employer body in South Australia, the South Australian Business Chamber knows that skills remain a constant constraint for many businesses, particularly SME businesses that are the engine room of the local economy. South Australia has an opportunity to build capability, not only within emerging industries such as defence and space, but traditional sectors like education, manufacturing, tourism and agriculture.
South Australians need good secure jobs. These can come from large public infrastructure projects, including roads, hospitals, schools and other public assets. These projects give businesses the confidence to train their staff with the necessary long-term skills. One the best strategies to keep people in South Australia is to train them so well that they do not need to leave. However, businesses also need to know what work is in the pipeline and this is precisely what Premier Malinauskas can deliver for South Australia.
It is heartening to hear Labor commit to increasing the number of students pursuing trades, including Aboriginal and female apprentices. This commitment to new apprenticeships and courses will further boost South Australia’s capability. To address the skills shortage in the more immediate term, the South Australian Business Chamber encourages the new state government to work with their federal counterparts to provide greater surety for working visa arrangements for international students who graduate from a South Australian technical college, university or learning institution.
On behalf of our members and the broader business community, we thank former Premier Marshall and the former Liberal Government for their efforts in keeping South Australians safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was no easy task to balance health priorities and the economy. The former state government had a strong and successful innovation agenda during their four-year term, seeing global companies such as Google, Accenture and Salesforce establishing a presence here. We also acknowledge the former state government’s strong commitment to renewable energy, water and environmental matters. We are confident that this will continue in a bi-partisan manner, as is the tradition.
This is a new era for South Australia. As the last two years of the pandemic draw to a close, I encourage our new Premier to contemplate that the SME business community is collectively the largest employer across the state. It is the business community that drives innovation, and it is business owners and employers who are the risk takers and the job makers in South Australia.
We look forward to working with you and your government, Premier Malinauskas.
