Beaumont Carol: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members 
Beaumont Carol: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members 
[Volume:666;Page:13485] 
10. 
CAROL BEAUMONT (Labour) 
 to the  
Minister of Labour 
: Does she agree with the statement in the Department of Labour’s current statement of intent: “New Zealand’s continued wealth will depend on the skills of its workers and how firms and industry support New Zealanders to work to their best potential. This is one of the biggest long-term challenges facing New Zealand’s labour market and economy”? 
Hon KATE WILKINSON (Minister of Labour) 
: 
 Yes. 
Carol Beaumont 
: In the light of that answer has the skills forum launched by the Prime Minister in October of last year held its second meeting yet at which it was supposed to set a work programme; if not is the skills forum likely to meet and set a work programme by the first anniversary of its launch? 
Hon KATE WILKINSON 
: The member may be surprised to hear that it is not always necessary to have regular meetings and lots of strategies. This Government is about action. The skills forum meets as and when required. In fact the Government has refocused the skills forum to deliver some very tangible improvements. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I ask members to be a little more courteous. It was extraordinarily hard to hear the Minister’s answer. 
Carol Beaumont 
: What message is the Minister sending about the importance of skills when papers prepared for the Cabinet strategy committee discussion about establishing the skills forum noted “an understanding that the Government will not be proposing a significant new work programme or allocating new money to initiatives”? 
Hon KATE WILKINSON 
: I think the message we are sending is very clear especially when one notes that education and skills are one of the Government’s six main policy drivers under our economic growth agenda. 
Carol Beaumont 
: Does the Minister agree that increasing the skills of our workforce is an essential element of improving productivity and closing the wage gap with Australia; if so why is there no skills forum to speak of no new money for workforce skills and training initiatives and no comprehensive Government programme for skills development and workforce training? 
Hon KATE WILKINSON 
: The skills forum as I said before meets as and when required. If the member had read my letter dated 12 August 2010 she would know that a significant amount of work has been and continues to be undertaken across the Government to address issues about the supply of and demand for skills including implementation of the tertiary education strategy; implementation of a targeted review of qualifications; implementation of Youth Guarantee scheme trade academies and new trade academies; implementation of the Youth Opportunities package including Job Ops and Community Max; launch of the Skills Highway website which I note since July has had over 3600 hits; establishment of the Employer Champions Forum— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! 
Hon KATE WILKINSON 
: —etc. 
Carol Beaumont 
: I seek leave to table a letter from Minister Wilkinson to Minister Joyce in which she says: “I aim to hold five further Skills Forum meetings this year which are currently being diaried. The first of these is likely to be scheduled— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? There is no objection. 
Document by leave laid on the Table of the House. 
Carol Beaumont 
: I seek leave to table the page from a briefing to Minister Wilkinson that notes: “Cabinet strategy”— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Is this apart from the briefing to the incoming Minister? 
Carol Beaumont 
: No it is a Cabinet strategy committee discussion. It is a page from a briefing to Minister Wilkinson that notes that the Cabinet strategy committee discussed on 19 October “how much to use the new Skills Forum with Ministers concerned not to raise expectations amongst social partners” and “An understanding”— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? There is no objection. 
Document by leave laid on the Table of the House. 
Carol Beaumont 
: I seek leave to table the draft key points and actions from the 17 December 2009 skills forum meeting among which is the suggestion that the forum “should include as an aim higher wages higher skills and a productive economy”. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? There is no objection. 
Document by leave laid on the Table of the House.