MUDRUN 2018
On the same day Minister of Agriculture Damien O’Connor spoke to farmers at Makuri about mycoplasma bovis, Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety, ACC and Immigration Iain LeesGalloway talked with members of the Dannevirke Chamber of Commerce about his portfolios.
Accompanied by List MP and Junior Whip Kieran McAnulty, he spoke for nearly an hour to an audience of 30.
He said legislation before parliament restores some workers’ rights removed by National, saying the setting up of workplace standards has been asked for by both workers and some big industries. These mostly relate to fair pay agreements like those successfully negotiated by the Care and Support workers.
“Immigration policies look to ensure the regions are not short of labour,” he said. The government was ensuring the right skilled workers get to places outside of Auckland.
He said this was all part of a commitment to support the regions highlighted by the promise to spend $1 billion per year to boost business and employment. While the focus seems to be on Northland, there were some interesting bids for primary growth funding elsewhere, he said.
ACC was a world-leading organisation vital not only in supporting workers but also in its investment into Government projects like Transmission Gully.
Questions included a request from Sharon Wards, CEO of the Tararua Health Group who hoped the health boards would not be left without funding to meet the increase in nurses’ wages. The Minister said the government is doing its best to fill a huge hole created by nine years of underfunding.
Another topic raised was the shortage of tradespeople and a lack of support for apprenticeship training. He said the no-fees for the first year in tertiary training introduced before Christmas extended to two years for apprentices. He also hoped immigration policies would help fill the gaps shortterm.
Poorly educated young people entering the workforce was another issue. He said the review of NCEA and tertiary courses would take some time to kick in. He said there are nearly 800,000 16 to 24 year olds not in education or employment (NEETS) and it was a huge task.
The Minister had a word of praise for List MP Kieran McAnulty.
“He has been a breath of fresh air since entering Parliament, and the fact he is Junior Whip in just his first term is a measure of the high esteem he is held in by Caucus.”