The ACT wants commitments for almost double the number of skilled migration spots and the Commonwealth to fund a greater share of infrastructure, including housing for essential workers, from a national jobs and skills summit.
ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr outlined the territory's summit wish list in a letter to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, also calling on the Commonwealth to recognise the need for reform of the health system.
"The ACT faces acute skills shortages in several areas including construction, health, education, information and communications technologies, hospitality, personal services and in niche professions such as bus drivers," Mr Barr wrote.
"The ACT government itself faces acute shortages in several areas, impacting on the delivery of government services and infrastructure."
The territory wants greater action on addressing worker shortages in the cybersecurity and information and communication technology sectors.
"Maintaining full employment and growing productivity are important to ensure sustainable growth in real wages and higher living standards, but we must also ensure that the entire community benefits from the actions taken from the summit," an attachment to Mr Barr's letter said.
Mr Barr wrote there should be an agreement between the Commonwealth and the states at the summit to develop a national housing plan to address shortages for key workers and skilled migrants.
Mr Barr said a priority action for the ACT was an "agreement to expand the scope of Commonwealth funding support for state-delivered infrastructure to meet the needs of a growing population".
The summit should also agree to expedite a new national agreement for skills and workplace development, along with quicker processing times for skilled migration visas and security clearances.
The ACT wants 5000 skilled migration places this year, up from the 2730 which have been allocated.
States, territories and the Commonwealth should also agree to increase workforce participation among target groups with a national workforce participation partnership agreement, the ACT government believes.
"This could include pursuing a range of joint measures to enable greater workforce participation, including for women, people living with a disability, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and older people, as well as investments in early intervention mental health support," Mr Barr wrote.
The ACT government will also seek a commitment from all Australian governments to enact secure job codes as part of government procurement, a union-backed model which the ACT has already adopted.
But national agreements should retain flexibility to meet the individual needs of each state and territory, the ACT believes.
Mr Barr wrote: "Workplace relations reform and workplace safety are key issues for discussion in striving to boost job security and wage growth and maintaining full employment."
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