NSW Labor will bring a Bill to Parliament to overhaul the State\u2019s purchasing and procurement powers to support NSW jobs, industry and supply chains, help workers develop skills and grow the NSW economy out of the COVID-19 recession.
\nThe Labor Leader Jodi McKay said: \u201cI grew up in a rural community and had to leave to get a job. 30 years later that\u2019s still happening. The Government must intervene, because only when rural and regional NSW is strong can the entire state thrive.\u201d
\nAs part of Labor\u2019s NSW Made campaign, The NSW Jobs First Bill will bring NSW in line with other states, including Victoria and South Australia and provide a much-needed boost to economies across regional NSW.
\nMs McKay said: \u201cGovernment money should be spent in NSW to help kick-start the economy. This plan will bolster employment and support NSW businesses during the biggest economic downturn since the Great Depression.\u201d
\n\u201cThe Premier talks about economic recovery, but she doesn\u2019t have a plan to create jobs.\u00a0The NSW Government spends more than $30 billion on goods and services each year.\u00a0 Every single cent of that should be helping create jobs in NSW. Every single cent should create and support industry across NSW \u2013 especially in regional NSW.\u201d
\nPart of NSW Labor\u2019s Bill is the establishment of a NSW Jobs First Advocate to advocate for businesses and industry in Government purchasing decisions, and hold suppliers to account for the NSW jobs and supply chain commitments they make.
\n\u201cJust this week we discovered Indonesian-made ferries destined for Sydney Harbour are riddled with asbestos and are too tall to fit under bridges. The Government should be building these ferries in NSW.\u00a0 Local manufacturing supports local jobs, which is critical to the recovery of our state. If the Premier is serious about economic recovery she will support this Bill.\u201d
\nAs part of this Bill, suppliers looking to win government contracts would have to submit an Industry Development Plan to outline how they\u2019ll support NSW jobs and industries.
\nA proportion of jobs on major State Government projects would also go to apprentices and trainees, Indigenous Australians, disadvantaged and vulnerable groups and the long-term unemployed.
\n\u201cIf you spend taxpayer money responsibly, you can create jobs across the State. You can support businesses. And you can make sure there are opportunities for everyone in the workforce.\u201d
\nWhile at Cooma where the historic Snowy 2.0 will be built, Ms McKay said the NSW Premier should be using her position at National Cabinet to make sure NSW steel and NSW jobs are at the centre of this nation-building project.
\n\u201cIt makes sense to buy a NSW-made product instead of using foreign steel, particularly during a recession. Every local steel industry worker employed supports another six workers in related industries.\u201d
\nSince 2011, successive NSW Liberal governments have sent local jobs offshore, awarding contracts worth billions of dollars to overseas manufacturers.
\nThese include:<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople would be shocked to know major NSW Government projects, along with most of the wind turbines and solar panels that generate energy here are mostly made from imported steel.\u201d
\n\u201cBuying local supports jobs and supports industry in NSW,\u201d Ms McKay said. \u201cNowhere is this more important than across regional NSW. Labor\u2019s plan will back NSW businesses, overhaul procurement practices, boost manufacturing capacity and strengthen the economy.
\n\u201cThe money Government spends is your taxpayer money. It should be spent to create jobs in NSW, not overseas.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
NSW Labor will bring a Bill to Parliament to overhaul the State\u2019s purchasing and procurement powers to support NSW jobs, industry and supply chains, help workers develop skills and grow the NSW economy out of the COVID-19 recession. The Labor Leader Jodi McKay said: \u201cI grew up in a rural community and had to leave … Continue reading “Labor's NSW Made plan to boost rural and regional jobs and kick-start economy”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7943","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-nswnews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7943","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7943"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7943\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7943"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7943"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7943"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}