Anthony Albanese claims jobs summit already a success

Anthony Albanese has a hit back at claims his jobs summit could be a fizzer as NSW ramps up calls to increase one thing.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has rejected suggestions his upcoming jobs and skills summit will be a fizzer amid calls to ramp up Australia’s migration intake.

Employers next week will meet with government and unions to discuss solutions to stagnating wages, jobs security and skills shortages.

Common ground has already been found in the lift of Australia’s permanent migration intake.

It’s likely the program will grow from 160,000 people a year to as high as 200,000.

Anthony Albanese visited Cerrone Jewellers in Sydney to talk skills. Picture: Gaye Gerard / NCA Newswire

But the PM acknowledged the current visa process was a handbrake on addressing the skills shortages.

“I know that all of the state and territory governments are concerned about the skills shortages; they are a handbrake on business activity,” Mr Albanese said.

Earlier, NSW Treasurer Matt Kean issued a desperate plea to the federal government to fast track visas for foreign workers amid chronic staff shortages.

Writing in The Australian, he said he wanted a new visa category targeting lower-skilled occupations.

A direction to unclog the visa approval process has been given to Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil.

“You are not going to have a summit on Thursday and Friday and wake up on Saturday and there are no skills shortages; that is not what is going to happen,” Mr Albanese told reporters in Sydney.

Mr Albanese says the summit is already a success. Picture: Gaye Gerard / NCA Newswire

But migration is just one piece of the puzzle and the government is keen to stress discussions about how to invest in Australia’s own workforce will be key.

The Prime Minister’s job summit follows in the footsteps of the Hawke government’s 1983 economic summit and Kevin Rudd’s Australia 2020 summit held in 2008.

Mr Rudd’s summit brought together 1000 of the “best and brightest” to map out solutions to challenges in employment, environment, the arts and health.

But suggestions the summit could be reduced to a talkfest, as some have claimed the Rudd summit was, were quickly rebuked by Mr Albanese.

Mr Albanese said the Cerrone Jewellers business was a success story. Picture: Gaye Gerard / NCA Newswire

“The Rudd 2020 summit was the first time anyone heard of the National Disability Insurance Scheme; pretty significant reform that came out of that process,” Mr Albanese hit back.

“Already, I regard (the summit) as a success.

“The fact that you are all here and we are talking about jobs and skills is part of the process of what we are doing here – making sure that people understand that there are significant skills shortages.”