Unions and big corporates dominate at Labor jobs talk-fest

Representatives from at least 20 different union bodies and major corporations including Telstra, Wesfarmers and Qantas received the coveted invitations - but there’s one group missing out.

The guest list for this week’s skills summit in Canberra is heavy on activists, unions, big business, and Labor state premiers but has almost no representatives from the nation’s small and medium sized businesses which employ more than 7.6 million Australians.

Among the attendees will be Victorian, WA, and NSW premiers Daniel Andrews, Mark McGowan and Dominic Perrottet, representatives from at least 20 different union bodies, and executives from major corporations including Telstra, Wesfarmers, and Qantas, whose embattled CEO Alan Joyce received one of the coveted invitations.

Other major corporations sending representatives include RioTinto, Price Waterhouse Coopers, BHP and Atlassian.

Representatives from a variety of arts organisations, think tanks, and charities are will also be present including The Benevolent Society, the left-wing think tank Per Capita, and the Lysicrates Foundation, which promotes performing and visual arts.

However analysis of the guest list reveals that there is almost no representation from the small or medium sized business sector.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Picture: Gary Ramage

The Council of Small Businesses of Australia (COSBOA) will be in attendance, as will the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Steve Fordham, founder and CEO of Muswellbrook’s Indigenous-owned Blackrock Industries, which provides equipment to mining and civil works projects across the Hunter Valley, will also be at the forum.

Alan Joyce, chief executive officer of Qantas

and Victorian Premier Dan Andrews were invited.

Former COSBOA head Peter Strong, speaking before the list was released, said that he did not expect to see much in the way of representation from small business.

“Anthony Albanese very rarely mentions small business, we’ve never been on his radar,” Mr Strong said.

“His world is big business and big unions.”

Mr Strong said that the prime minister had little concept of what it was like to run a small business with a payroll, saying that “when the prime minister talked about a raise being only a dollar an hour, he should also understand that if you’re a small business you could have to find thousands of dollars a year to cover that.”

Former Council of Small Business Australia chief executive Peter Strong. COSBOA

“So where do you find that? You raise prices and cut hours,” he said.

Mr Strong added that he was afraid that unions and big corporations would be empowered at the expense of small operators.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers said, “While you can’t represent the full diversity of Australia with a room full of people, we’re giving as many individuals a voice through this process as we can.”

“Over the past month my colleagues and I have held more than 100 roundtables across the country to hear local perspectives.”

“Through the roundtables I’ve done, I‘ve seen there’s plenty of good will out there and an appetite to work together.”

“Despite a decade of drift, division and dysfunction, people haven’t given up hope on finding common ground.”

Originally published as Unions and big corporates dominate at Labor jobs talk-fest