United Voice News
LHMU's Louise Tarrant at Australia 2020 Summit
I am honoured to be part of the Australia 2020 Summit. I have been selected to be on the Summit's Future of the Australian Economy Committee.
The Summit will help set the agenda for our country for the next decade. It is important that issues impacting on LHMU members are raised and recognised as being of national significance.
In seeking to participate at the Summit people were asked to submit in 100 words why they want to be involved. I wrote
"Our economy has seen a significant shift in employment to private service sector employment. Many of these jobs are characterised by low wages and insecure attachment. Think back to the evolution of manufacturing and mining jobs over the last 150 years. Initially, they too were characterised by sub standard conditions and yet they become good jobs – key to the economy and delivering good living standards.
How do we ensure in the current two speed economy that we don’t also entrench a two track economy where the economic prosperity of the future is serviced by a growing underclass of working poor?"
Key to ensuring this doesn’t happen is a strong and strategically placed union movement but there are also key economic and political decisions that will influence our future. We need to be part of those debates.
Louise Tarrant
LHMU National Secretary
The Australia 2020 Summit was held in Canberra on 19 and 20 April.
Visit the Australia 2020 Summit website
Download information about the 2020 Summit's Australian Economy Committee
