A big lesson from the Covid-19 pandemic in the past year is that, in times of crisis, Australians look to their governments for leadership and support.
 
The lived experience of Covid-19 by Australians runs counter to the view of those who, like Scott Morrison, argue we distrust governments and want them out of our lives.
 
In fact, the pandemic has reinforced Australians want government leadership that serves their interests and makes a difference to the way they live their daily lives.
 
Labor sees the role of government as continuing to be central as we deal with the Omicron variant and rebuild from the pandemic.
 
In 2022, we must deal with some of the weaknesses in our economy that were exposed by the pandemic. We must build back stronger, with an economy that is more resilient and better able to produce good, secure, well-paid jobs. We must be more self-sufficient and invest in training Australians with the skills they need to find work.
 
When Covid-19 emerged, Australians quickly came to understand the importance of local manufacturing.
 
We were unable to produce adequate supplies of face masks, hand sanitisers and protective equipment. We still are unable to manufacture our own mRNA vaccines.
 
A Labor government will use the post-Covid-19 recovery period to rebuild Australian high-value manufacturing, not just of medicines and medical goods, but of a range of products for domestic use and export.
 
Cheap, clean energy, coupled with the global shift to a low-emissions economy, provides us with a once-in-a-generation opportunity to strengthen existing industries and create new ones that will thrive in coming decades.
 
With government leadership, Australia can be a nation that makes things again. Labor will create a National Reconstruction Fund offering subsidised loans, guarantees and other support to existing Australian businesses looking to expand as well as new businesses in areas like renewables and value-added manufacturing.
 
We’ll also support manufacturing with industry development plans in defence and transport. It makes no sense to keep buying trains, trams and ferries overseas, only to find they arrive unfit for purpose. We should make trains, trams and ferries here, providing good, secure jobs for Australians, particularly in regional communities.
 
We also need government leadership to address our worsening skills crisis. Over nearly a decade in office, the Liberals and Nationals have gutted TAFE. There are 85,000 fewer Australians undertaking apprenticeships and traineeships today than there were when the Coalition took office.
 
As a result, Australian businesses are looking to recruit overseas workers on temporary visas at the same time as two million Australians are either unemployed or underemployed. That makes no sense.
 
While temporary migration will continue to play a role, a Labor government will prioritise training Australians to fill these skills shortages.
 
We’ll provide free TAFE courses for 465,000 Australians and create 20,000 new university places in areas of skills shortage including tourism and hospitality, the care sector and renewable and other emerging technology sectors.
 
Australia also needs a new focus on job security, with four million people in insecure work. Labor will convene a Jobs Summit to work with business and unions and collaborate on ways to make work more secure and remove obstacles to full employment. As we learnt during the pandemic, casual workers are particularly vulnerable in a crisis. Likewise, Covid-19 reinforced the necessity of maintaining ­adequate social housing for people ­living in disadvantage.
 
A Labor government will boost ­social housing investment, particularly for older women, who are at most risk of becoming homeless.
 
We’ll also ease pressure on the cost of living, reducing energy costs by embracing renewables, cutting taxes on electric vehicles and reducing childcare costs for families, which will boost productivity by increasing female workforce participation.
 
I believe in the power of government to make a difference to people’s lives. As someone who grew up the son of a single mum in public housing, I have felt the power of change in my own life.
 
But it takes governments to drive change. It takes leadership to create transformative policy solutions to the problems that hold people back or, even worse, leave people behind.
 
Perhaps the biggest lesson from the Covid-19 pandemic is that the ­concept of community is alive and well in this country.
  
This opinion piece was first published in the Daily Telegraph and Courier Mail on Thursday, 23 December 2021.