Thank you very much to Wayne for those words of introduction, and thank you to all of you, particularly the people who have been on the 3-day journey, for your fortitude and you contributions.
I'd also like to thank Peter Shergold for doing the moderating this morning. To everyone who's engaged in presenting today, to all of the staff who have kept us organised and supported during the course of this event - thank you very much.
First, I'm going to start with a sad reflection, which is whilst we have been meeting today, the news has broken that Steve Jobs, the creative genius behind Apple, the iPad, the iPhone, the iPod, has died today, and so as we've sat here talking about innovation, the world has in fact lost one of its leading innovators.
Now, words of condolence are being spoken all around the world for Steve, and I would join in those words of condolence. Flowers are apparently being left outside Apple stores, and already someone has launched on the internet an Apple logo with his face silhouetted against the black background of the Apple logo.
Now, all of this is going to be big news and cause for reflection over the next few days, but as we remember his life it should reinforce in us the belief that innovation can change the world. He changed our world.
As I've moved from session to session today I've thought to myself, knowing about this news, how many people were sitting there on their iPads, taking notes, doing emails in their bit of down time. He's changed our world.
So, innovation can change the world and it can lead to prosperity and opportunity, one of the things that we've been reflecting on today.
Friends, I've taken a number of important insights and reflections from today. Before getting into the meat and potatoes of this concluding address, I want to point out, too, Andrew Liveris said to us this morning “passivity isn't a growth strategy”, and Steve Vamos said, during his session, “whether you want to grow a business or grow an economy, you have to say we want to do this and will do this'”.
I want to assure you that it's not in this Government's nature to be passive, and we are very determined, during this phase of economic transformation, to spread opportunity - the opportunity for work through our nation during this phase of change; to seize the huge opportunities which will come from the growth of Asia, the resources boom, a clean energy future and the National Broadband Network; that we're very determined to nourish the diversity of our economy during these days of change; and to emerge from the resources boom with an economy more diverse than when we entered into the boom.
And we'll also want to make sure, during these days of economic transformation, that we don't leave people behind.
When I spoke to you this morning I said that my aims for the day included, first, deepening our understanding of today's trends and tomorrow's opportunities, and I believe we've done that. I was particularly struck by Andrew Liveris telling us, in a most compelling fashion across the video link - which came back for us, fortunately - he told us about how countries around the globe are preparing for an era of even more intense globalisation, and he urged us to think about how we can fit into this age of globalisation through innovation; through falling in love again with science; through building genuine partnerships between Government and industry.
I think we have shared and deepened our understanding of today's trends and tomorrow's opportunities. We will continue to work with you on that as we develop the Asian Century White Paper. That is, in essence, what it's for.
I also wanted us to emerge with more of an understanding of the future vision for industry sectors under pressure during these days of economic change. I've received good feedback during the course of the day about the great work that has been undertaken by the Future Manufacturing Industry Innovation Council under Kim Carr's leadership, and we need to build on that work.
In relation to another sector under pressure, the tourism sector, I can commit to you that an updated tourism strategy will be released before the end of the year, but we will take two immediate steps for tourism.
First, we will extend business support through Enterprise Connect to tourism, and second, I will ask Nick Sherry to work further on ensuring tourism is ready to capitalise on the advantages that the NBN will bring, given, of course, that today, looking for a tourist opportunity, working out where you want to go, is being driven by the information you can get by going on the internet, and that will be turbo-charged by the NBN.
I can also commit to you, in relation to another industry under pressure, international education, that following the well-received Knight review of international education, Chris Evans will shortly appoint the International Education Advisory Council to continue defining and realising the best vision for the future of that vital sector of the economy.
This morning, I also spoke to you about the aims for today, including having a sophisticated discussion about productivity, and we've done that. The next iteration of the important work about management and improving productivity that is being done by Steve Vamos will emerge from a workshop being held in December, and I will ensure that that important work is shared as quickly and as widely as possible.
Finally, this morning I talked to you about leveraging the resources boom so that it benefits the rest of the economy. That's critical to spreading opportunity right throughout our nation during these days of change.
We've heard, during the course of the day, from right around the room, how urgent it is to support manufacturing during these days of change: to enable it to compete in the new global landscape, and with the headwinds that it is experiencing with the high terms of trade; to enable the sector to move up the value chain; to enable it to more actively link with high-quality research and development taking place in our unis and TAFE; to build the skills that the sector needs to ensure it can access the capital it needs to re-tool and re-equip.
Now, I believe that this task is urgent and it requires a whole-of-government approach. I will therefore establish a Prime Minister's taskforce, drawn from manufacturing industry leaders and unions, to co-ordinate and catalyse the work occurring across government. We need to be in a position to rapidly respond to this structural adjustment.
I will personally chair this taskforce, and Minister Carr will be the deputy chair. Other senior ministers, because this is a whole-of-government task, will be members of the taskforce.
I do genuinely believe that we can be a country that continues to invent things and make things. I want our economy to be one that includes high-quality, good-paying jobs for Australian workers in manufacturing. It's a vital part of our economy, and it's got to be a long-lasting part of our economy.
In addition, I talked to you this morning about some of the work we're already doing through the buying Australia at home and abroad work, and the supplier advocates that we have working to get manufacturing a share in the work being generated by mining, and Peter Beattie has been here as a participant throughout the day.
Today, to build on those efforts, I announce that the Government will move to extend the requirement of Australian Industry Participation Plans for Federal Government grants of $20 million or more, and for grants of $20 million or more to the states and territories where they do not apply their own industry participation plans.
We already require these plans for our own major procurements, the Commonwealth's major procurements, and we will now work with states and territories to ensure Australian suppliers have opportunities to compete for projects and work.
The Commonwealth provides billions of dollars in grants each year. Some of these go direct to industry, some go to infrastructure projects, some are delivered through states and territories. Requiring Industry Participation Plans as part of those grants, I believe, is an important new initiative.
This measure will be consistent with our international trade obligations. We are not taking a step back from our firm belief in the value of open markets. We will work to ensure local suppliers have an opportunity to compete on the level terms in bidding for Government-supported projects.
Now, to get this done we will appoint an implementation working group, and they'll be working very quickly indeed. I'm hoping no-one wanted Melbourne Cup Day off, because the working group will report and finalise what it needs to do by the end of this year.
It will include representatives from industry, unions, Commonwealth agencies, as well as the states and territories.
In addition, the Government will also extend opportunities for Australian industry participation in the enhanced project by laws scheme. Now, this is a tariff concession scheme that provides eligible projects with relief from a five per cent general tariff that applies to imported goods. To be eligible for this concession, major projects have to provide Australian industry with an opportunity to compete for work, but there have been criticisms of the operation of this scheme, and we intend to tighten it so it works better to provide Australian manufacturing with opportunities.
We will be requiring more comprehensive evidence of opportunities being provided to Australian industry. We will be requiring project proponents to list opportunities for Australian industry to participate in major projects on a public website.
We will be requiring project proponents to more regularly report on how their industry participation plans are working and their outcomes, and we will be amending the guidelines to require approval of eligible goods as an additional step for large projects.
In getting this concession, it is important that people respond by being clear and transparent in their conduct. This is something that a number of stakeholders have agitated for. There's no point in having rules unless people can, each and every day, clearly and transparently see that they are being abided by. Consequently, we will require these Industry Participation Plans to be published on a website so I, you, anyone can check on progress against the plans.
This is all about giving Australian business the fair go that it deserves. If you want Australian taxpayers' dollars, then you're going to have to give Australian business a fair chance to compete for work.
In addition to those measures, one of the things that has struck me today in the discussion has been the focus on skills - something very close to my heart. As many of you are aware, we are engaged in a major reform process through COAG on skills development, and we've got reform work also occurring through the National Workforce Development and Productivity Agency. Chris Evans has recently announced some steps to broaden and bring forward the work of this agency and I'll be working with Chris to see what we can do to accelerate that work, and to ensure that in the skills reform process we are responding to the industry sections that we've spoken about today.
We particularly need to be ready to nurture the resources boom with the skills that it needs. We need to be ready to focus on the new skills we will need for a clean energy future. We need to have a focus on the skills development required to take manufacturing up the value chain, and then of course we need to be providing the skills necessary for other industries, including tourism and the huge growth that we are expecting in sectors like health and community services, and also in the professional and technical sections.
So friends, with those words I want to thank you once again for participating in this work. This is not a one-off day. We didn't start with a clean page. We came here having worked with many of you through different arms of government - supporting jobs, thinking about skills development, working on productivity, working on responses to the patchwork economy. I believe through the efforts today we've catalysed that work, we've driven it further, and it's certainly my intention to stay in very close contact with this group and beyond as we continue to drive that work forward.
The transformation in our economy brings challenges, but let's leave this room reminding ourselves of the opportunities. We've got an amazing opportunity to spread wealth from the boom in resources, during the days of the boom to use that wealth and those opportunities to drive depending and diversity in our economy even as we face some strains from the high Australian dollar. We've got a great opportunity through the resources boom and beyond to strengthen our economy for the future so that we emerge with a diversified economy: high skill, high wage, clean energy, high productivity.
That's the journey we've been on today and I thank you for your contribution.