ADJOURNMENT

Ms LAWRENCE (Hasluck) (19:45): One thing I've said many times in this place is that talent is spread everywhere across this great nation but opportunities are not. We are absolutely working and are determined to change that, and we can see that in our evidence with our investment into skills. It's why we introduced fee-free TAFE and why now more than 850,000 Australians have enrolled in training that can change the trajectory of their lives, and it's why I was proud to see the Albanese and Cook Labor governments come together to invest $32 million in the new Clean Energy Skill Hub at Midland TAFE, right in the heart of my electorate of Hasluck.

This investment will help train the next generation of electricians, instrumentation technicians, engineers and skilled tradespeople who will be powering Australia's economic future. It means more opportunities closer to home, it means local people being able to access world-class training without having to leave their community, and it means ensuring Western Australians have the skills required to take advantage of the opportunities being created by Australia's energy transformation.

As the Minister for Climate Change and Energy has observed, the global shift to clean energy represents one of the biggest economic transformations since the Industrial Revolution, and it presents Australia with an enormous economic and jobs opportunity. I believe that opportunity should belong to Australian workers. The Clean Energy Skill Hub is a practical example of what good government looks like.

Federal Labor and WA Labor are working together to ensure that, as industries evolve and new technologies emerge, local workers have the skills and qualifications they need to succeed. It's an investment in people, an investment in productivity and an investment in the long-term future of Western Australia. But there has to be a pathway from training to employment.

If governments are investing in skills and workers are doing the training, industry also has a responsibility to ensure qualified Australians have a genuine opportunity to apply for the jobs that are being created. Whether we're talking about offshore oil and gas, critical minerals, maritime operations or emerging clean energy projects, Western Australians rightly expect that, when they have the qualifications, experience and willingness to work, they will have a fair chance to secure those jobs.

That is why I've been listening carefully to the concerns being raised by the Offshore Alliance, which represents thousands of workers across Western Australia. Their members have voiced concerns that qualified Australian workers are sometimes being overlooked, while employers increasingly rely on temporary visa arrangements. Their message is straightforward: where Australians are qualified, ready and available to do the work, they deserve a genuine opportunity to apply for those jobs first.

I support that principle. This is not about closing Australia off from the world. Australia will always benefit from skilled migration and international expertise, but Australian workers should be able to expect a fair return from the industries that rely on Australia's resources, Australia's infrastructure and Australia's communities.

The same principle applies in another industry that keeps our economy moving every day—transport. Tomorrow, thousands of transport workers across the country will take protected industrial action in pursuit of safer workplaces, greater job security and fairer standards across the sector. The Transport Workers' Union has been campaigning for a future in which technological change and automation improve jobs rather than undermine them.

These workers are not opposed to innovation. They understand that technology will continue to shape the future of transport and logistics, but they are asking an important question: who benefits from that change? Technology should serve working people, not the other way around.

I stand in solidarity with the Transport Workers' Union and their members in their fight for secure jobs and safe workplaces. I also call on the multinational corporations, including Aldi and Amazon, to step up and fund decent standards in their supply chains. I've said it before in this place, and I'll say it again: if Amazon can afford to rocket billionaires into space, they can pay workers back here on earth their fair share.

Innovation is not successful if the outcome is less job security, poorer conditions or fewer opportunities for workers to have a voice in decisions that affect their lives. The true measure of progress is whether working people share in the benefits. That is why I stand with transport workers calling for secure jobs, safe workplaces and meaningful consultations about how AI and automation will be implemented in their industry.