To follow on from A fair Share of the Future SA Unions has today, 16 July 2013, launched Building our Future – An Agenda for South Australia
Agenda
South Australia is on the cusp of economic and social change. Our economy is transforming from its traditional base of agriculture and manufacturing to one driven by mining and defence, with significant growth in education and community services. We are in a prime position to capitalise on the continued economic growth of our Asian neighbours and the rise in demand for our goods.
We are facing the challenges of climate change, which will impact on us more than other places in our nation as we live on the edge of a desert and at the end of the River Murray. The need for new technology and the emerging green economy could provide job opportunities for our people into the future.
We need to work together and generate creative solutions if we are to deal with an ageing population, increased migration and the future of our small economy in light of global financial pressures.
Unions in South Australia have a pivotal role in ensuring that the economic benefits of booming new industries benefit the state’s workers, their families and our communities well into the future.
We can assist in the development of our state as a socially just, productive and economically sustainable community by having an active involvement in policy, strategies and projects that will address the challenges of the future, such as labour and skill shortages, climate change and social inclusion.
We can harness the wisdom, experience and skills in communities to identify local issues and solutions. By refocussing and aligning the resources of government, community organisations and philanthropic and corporate bodies to implement these local solutions, we can bring about real and sustainable results in communities.
There is growing international, interstate and local evidence about the effectiveness of community-drive, collective approaches in bringing about change. SA Unions is a founding partner of Together SA and we look forward to working across South Australia as part of this alliance to ensure the best possible community engagement which brings about the best possible solutions to the issues our state faces now and into the future.
This is a union agenda for South Australia. It contains key goals, recommendations and initiatives. The challenge for us all is how the future of the state can be fairly shared with its people in a sustainable environment.