Press Conference – MarionLIFE, Adelaide

E&OE TRANSCRIPT

BRETT MANUEL, INTERIM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, MARIONLIFE: Good morning and welcome, and thank you for coming to MarionLIFE today. We welcome the members of Parliament and Ministers and thank them for being here today with the ACE program announcements. MarionLIFE is a group that's been here for 40 years, serving our local community right from emergency assistance through a whole range of opportunities. And we love adult community education as an opportunity for people to upskill, be connected, enter pathways for education and for employment, and then some of them that come back and work with us or volunteer with us. And we just really are very excited to celebrate that today and thank you.

ANDREW GILES, MINISTER FOR SKILLS AND TRAINING: Thanks very much, Brett. It's great to be back here in Adelaide at MarionLIFE today for an exciting announcement, which is about the strength of the partnership between the Albanese Labor Government and the Malinauskas Labor Government here in South Australia, a partnership with purpose that's about people and giving them every opportunity to get the skills they need to succeed at work and in life.

I'm so thrilled to be here with the local Federal Member, Louise, and also with Nadia and Sarah from the State Parliament, and of course, my good friend and a fantastic Minister for Education, Skills and Training in the Malinauskas Government, Blair Boyer, who will have a bit to say in a minute.

Blair and I are here to talk about the agreement we've reached about implementing a vision for foundation skills in South Australia – a shared commitment of $14 million dollars that will enable 12,000 people get the support they need to get all of those skills to enable them to live a full life. Adult community education is so important for the reasons we’ve just seen inside here at MarionLIFE. We’ve heard four stories, four stories about lives transformed by places just like this and investments like the one that we have committed to today – making sure that everyone in our community gets every opportunity to develop their literacy or numeracy traditionally or, as we've seen also, to get the digital skills or maybe just the confidence in getting to employment that everyone deserves. The stories we've heard are really powerful, but they are just the tip of the iceberg. We are committed in the Albanese Government to working with the Malinauskas Government to make sure that everyone in the communities across South Australia gets all the support they need, whether or not they've had a great experience at school in the first instance, whether or not they were born in Australia or born overseas and recently arrived; to do everything possible to make sure that everyone gets the skills they need to make their way in work and in life.

And the last point I want to end on is really touching on places like MarionLIFE, the places that deliver ACE, because making these skills available for government is fundamentally important, but it’s only half of the story. There’s a couple of partnerships here. There’s the one that I enjoy with Blair, working with the Malinauskas Government, but there's also the partnership between the participants here and the community organisations that deliver it because fundamentally, this is about respect and dignity. This is about making sure that everyone in our society is treated on their terms to get the skills they want, to live the life that they need to live.

BLAIR BOYER, SOUTH AUSTRALIAN MINISTER FOR EDUCATION, TRAINING AND SKILLS: Thank you very much, Andrew. It’s great to be here with you and of course Nadia, Sarah, and Louise as well. And a big thank you to Brett and the team from MarionLIFE for having us here today.

This is a really important announcement for the reasons that Andrew just said. The former Marshall Liberal government cut funding to adult community education providers like MarionLIFE. We made a commitment when we were in opposition that if we were elected to government, we would put that money back in. We have delivered on that commitment, and we are now going above and beyond that. And with this partnership with the Albanese Labor Government and with Minister Giles, the $14 million that we are announcing here today will go towards 12,000 new places over the next three years in ACE, or adult community education, so we can see providers just like MarionLIFE doing more of the fantastic work that they already do.

We've seen some pretty startling survey results recently across the nation, which showed that about 90 per cent of businesses were having issues around productivity because of low levels of literacy and numeracy from their workforce. And we know that, as Andrew touched upon, there are often high levels of shame and embarrassment attached to poor literacy or numeracy amongst adults, which means it's often something that they are not prepared to talk about, which means we often don't understand the depth of the problem. And I think that survey showed us that it is not only an issue for all those reasons around making sure that people can live happy and connected lives, particularly those who might be new to Australia, but also making sure that we give people the skills for the jobs that are there in the South Australian economy now.

It is a good time to be looking for employment in South Australia. It is a good time to be increasing your hours of work in South Australia now. But often, what we find is that because of levels of literacy and numeracy and particularly digital literacy, sometimes people aren't able to access those jobs that are there. That is a great shame, of course, for the individuals, but it's a real loss to the South Australian community as well. And I think the role that adult community education providers like MarionLIFE have played for years and years – I think, Brett, you might have said 40 years in this community, a long time – has been overlooked and undervalued for far too long.

And we have a big challenge ahead of us. I know Minister Giles knows that as Australia’s Skills Minister. But I know, as South Australia’s Skills Minister, if we’re to be successful on all those huge projects that we've got in front of us at the moment, like AUKUS, like a new women’s and children's hospital, like building thousands of new homes in a non-stop north-south roadway, the big challenge that is consistent across all of those projects is the workforce. And we just don't have the luxury, if I can put it that way, of having a big chunk of our employable population not able to access the jobs all there because they don't have some of those basic medals of literacy, numeracy, and digital literacy, which is what it takes to actually be able to go and apply for a job and walk in and do a job interview, and then if you're successful, to be a productive member of the team once you're actually fully, gainfully employed.

So, this announcement today will go a long way. 12,000 places across three years is a lot of additional places. I know they'll be put to very, very good use by providers like MarionLIFE. We heard just inside before from people who have accessed the courses here about what it has meant to them. We’re also doing some work with Minister Giles and the Albanese Government around trying to get more ACE providers in regional parts of South Australia. Skill shortages and issues around digital literacy, numeracy are not issues that are unique to metropolitan parts of our state. They are felt very acutely in regional parts of South Australia as well, often more so. So as part of this package, we're doing some important work around trying to encourage start-ups of more ACE providers, so that we can offer the same kind of high quality support that MarionLIFE has been offering here for 40 years in other parts of our state as well.

JOURNALIST: Can you talk us through why some of these stats were so concerning and have forced you to make this decision?

BOYER: Yeah, I mean, a national survey that shows 90 per cent of businesses who are part of the survey saying that they have struggled with issues around productivity because of literacy and numeracy is a pretty startling figure. And I think because of reasons around the understandable levels of shame that an adult can feel if they are unable to read or write means often they don't speak about it. I think it means that we don't often fully understand as governments the depth of the issue that we are facing. And that's why often I think adult community education is overlooked. I mean, the last state government here, the Liberal state government, cut money to adult community education, which I think was a shameful thing to do. We have put that money back in, but I think looking at that survey data shows us what a big issue it is.

And we are at an important place in South Australia's history in terms of those projects that we do have online and coming online, like AUKUS for example, but they all have the one challenge in common and that is building the workforce to actually deliver on the project. And that means we really need all hands to the wheel, and it means that we need to be supporting adult community education providers like MarionLIFE to be doing the work they can do so that people are actually in a position to get those jobs. The jobs are there, but what we are seeing is that for some people, because of barriers around literacy and numeracy, they aren't able to get that job and that is quite simply not good enough.

JOURNALIST: Are these class times flexible as well? Could these classes deter some people from coming because they'll be missing work and then they'll miss pay?

BOYER: Absolutely right. That’s the other thing that we assume. We make a whole heap of assumptions here around what people can and can’t do. We’re talking about people who might not currently be employed but might be a new arrival to Australia from another part of the world. We make assumptions around things that are easy for us that might not be easy for them, and that includes access to training: where you can actually get it, the hours of operation. And one of the things that is truly unique about ACE or adult community education is not just that there's basically no cost for the individual, but the way in which it is delivered, the environment which it is delivered, and the hours in which it is delivered to make it as flexible as we can so that the people who need it can actually access it.

JOURNALIST: You talk about that feeling of shame as well. What would your message be to those perhaps sitting at home who would be quite keen to do a course like this but not feeling like they have the confidence to?

BOYER: Yeah, I mean, for those people who are in a situation where they feel like they don't have the levels of literacy and numeracy to secure work or to even increase their hours of work, this announcement is for you. These 12,000 extra places is acknowledgement of a couple of things. It's an acknowledgement of the importance of adult community education to South Australia and South Australians, and I want to acknowledge the work of Minister Giles in that. But it is also acknowledgement that we really need to be supporting those people to have the skills they need to get the jobs that South Australia needs to fill to deliver on all these big projects. We just do not have the luxury as a relatively smaller state, population-wise, to have people who are ready to go, who are champing at the bit to be out there and working who aren't able to do so because they weren't able to access any kind of support or adult community education that they need to be able to get that job.

So this is us listening. It's the Federal Government listening. It's the Albanese and Malinauskas Governments listening to the sector, to our providers, but also to employers around what they need to make sure they can build the workforce they need. And that's our jobs as Skills Ministers, but I know these local members of Parliament here are the ones out on the ground talking to people here all the time around adults who aren't supported in this way. And that is a huge loss to our economy, and I think one that we are keen to make amends.

JOURNALIST: Do you have a time frame, I guess, of how we'll see these numbers start to surge again, with productivity with these classes?

BOYER: We don't have a time frame, but I know that given we have already delivered on our commitment to put that money back in, the former Liberal government cut, and now we're going at above and beyond that with 12,000 extra places, I think we can expect to see some really positive results. I also want to say, though, that part of this package of $14 million here today is going towards encouraging start-ups of adult community education providers in regional parts of our state, and around the country as well. I think that is really important, very easy for governments to become a bit fixated in metropolitan parts of their states. Often skills shortages and a skills crisis is felt even more acutely in country areas. That is true of South Australia as well. And of course, we are a state with a very heavy population in our capital city and much smaller population levels in regional and rural parts of the state, which means we often don't have the same level of service provision, whether it's ACE or any other kind of training that other parts of the state has. So for that reason, the money that we are providing through this partnership with the Albanese Government to encourage more ACE providers in regional parts of the state will also really help our regional economies.

JOURNALIST: Great, thank you. Do we have anyone who perhaps is doing the class who'd be able to have a chat to us, or is about to enrol in the class, or participants?

MANUEL: Rana has been a participant, is continuing with the program, but is also now a facilitator of the program, so that's very exciting. Martha has been a participant and is now volunteering with MarionLIFE.

RANA DABBAH, PROGRAM PARTICIPANT: My name is Rana. I'm from Middle East, from Jordan. We have been here, before three years ago. And for all the support from MarionLIFE and from the teachers, Rebecca and Silvana, they gave me more self-confidence. I took many courses here, especially confidence for work, cooking courses, and I launched my small business two years ago and they gave me the opportunity. I'm already doing the Mediterranean workshops at Blackwood Community Centre before two terms ago, and now I will do the part, the ACE program. I will do the cooking courses this term; I will teach my own courses, and thanks to MarionLIFE, thanks for all the teachers here, Rebecca and Silvana. They gave me more self-confidence and they always support me, and thanks for everyone here. Thanks especially for MarionLIFE and the teachers. Thank you very much.

JOURNALIST: Can I just ask, could you speak or write English at all before you came over here? Or are you starting completely fresh?

DABBAH: No, we already learned it in Jordan. But when I came here I didn't understand, because the culture is different. But when I practise more and more, and now understand everything and try to speak more with all the people here.

JOURNALIST: How much have you learned in the past three years while you've been studying? Like, what are some of the things that you've learnt?

DABBAH: I learned many things here. First of all, there is more opportunities here in Australia, because you have to open the door here and see, there's lots of opportunities, but you have maybe to find the right person to put you on the right way, and thank you everyone here. They put me on the right way, and I'm going step by step. They’re baby steps, but it's good steps, I think, for my self-confidence now more than before.

MARTHA EGAS, PROGRAM PARTICIPANT: Okay, my name is Martha Egas. I come from Ecuador in South America and speak Spanish. I’m here nine months, and I am improving my English thanks for the community centre, MarionLIFE. And I am very happy I received some courses, I took some courses that improved my English, and also I discovered some skills that I didn't know I had before. Things like painting and writing letters, emails, applying, something like that. They helped a lot. And thank you very much for my teacher, for MarionLIFE. Now I am a volunteer in MarionLIFE. I'm very thankful. I'm very happy to be here, really. It's a great opportunity because they opened the doors for many things. They gave me a lot of chance to do things, yes.

JOURNALIST: What skills do you think you've been able to learn during these courses?

EGAS: The courses, first, writing and speaking English. And the same way is writing letters for emails, for applying for jobs and also skills like being more self-confident, confidence in myself. I trust myself now. That's why I applied for the volunteering at MarionLIFE. I am very, very happy helping each other, helping the people.

JOURNALIST: And were you able to speak English before you came? Were you learning a little bit before you came over?

EGAS: No, I learned here a lot. I started, I come here and start, maybe 30 per cent in English, basic language. But now I learn more, I feel more confidence.

JOURNALIST: And how have you found the process of applying for jobs? Has it been hard? Has it been easy? How have you found that?

EGAS: I didn't apply for a job, but like a volunteer, yes. ACE helped me a lot for apply, because my teacher, they helped me a lot. The people working here, they are so lovely – like angels. I tell them, angels.

JOURNALIST: You would recommend this course to other people?

EGAS: Oh, yes. Absolutely. I recommend for everybody, immigrants come here, it is fantastic courses, amazing. Yeah, really.

JOURNALIST: Thank you so much. Thank you for sharing that.