Federal deputy opposition leader leaves Albany ‘filled with admiration’ for businesses tackling challenges

Federal Deputy Opposition Leader Sussan Ley says a visit to Albany left her “filled with admiration” for small businesses of the region which are facing different challenges each day. Ms Ley, who is also the shadow minister for industry skills and training, women, and small and family business, spent a day in Albany on Thursday. During her visit, she attended an Albany Chamber of Commerce and Industry lunch event followed by a small business round table event, also organised by the ACCI. Interim ACCI chief executive Kristen Pyrz-Brown said both events were well-attended. There was 24 people in attendance at the lunch followed by 15 representatives of Albany business and industry having an in depth round-table conversation. “People were happy to open up to her and put forward what the challenges were,” she said. “Whether that be something that needs to be considered at a local level, a State level or a Federal level. “There was people there from accounting, agribusiness, hospitality, engineering and construction — there was really good representation from the major industries down here.” Ms Ley said that small businesses were doing “amazingly well considering the pressures they are facing” to still present with a smile on their faces every morning. “But of course, when I meet small businesses, I’m also on a fact-finding mission because I’m looking forward to us as a Coalition coming out with policies which answer some of the needs of small business,” she said. Ms Pyrz-Brown and Ms Ley both highlighted that worker shortages and more localised training as important concerns raised at the round table. “We talked a bit about Tafe training and how it is lagging behind the industry needs” Ms Pyrz-Brown said. “Staff shortages were also definitely raised, businesses wanted a bit of a time line on the DAMA (Designated Area Migration Agreement) application and why certain regional areas get a precedence in things like hospitality. “I think there were a few things there Ms Ley wouldn’t have heard before, particularly on the skills front.” Earlier in the day, Ms Ley spent time at South Regional Tafe’s Albany campus, where she talked with nursing students, and made a quick stop at Al Curnow Hydraulics. She said it was important that more training opportunities continued to be made available locally. “I support Tafe, which does a good job, but we also need industry-led training,” she said. “We need training provided by industry because they know exactly what the training needs to be, and it’s also flexible to happen when you need it to happen — not just when Tafe can fit you in.” Ms Ley also said the region’s ongoing housing crisis was mentioned at different points throughout the day. She said there was a real “call to action” for the State Government to help address the issue. “The housing availability crisis can be solved by better planning and better delivery of development,” she said. Ms Ley was accompanied by O’Connor MRH Rick Wilson during the visit, who she said was constantly talking to her about the needs of his electorate. Ms Pyrz-Brown said the wider community — including the business community — needed to take advantage of opportunities when senior politicians came to area in order to make sure any concerns were heard. “If we don’t engage with these sorts of things when they come along we won’t get visited,” she said. “We thank everyone that turned up to engage, but in the future we want to encourage even more people to take up the opportunity to have their voices heard in forums such as this. “As more people come along our voice just gets louder and louder and louder and louder.”