Leaders of Australian tech giants Atlassian and SafetyCulture have nabbed two of the coveted invites to this week’s national Jobs and Skills Summit, while the Tech Council of Australia has secured the lone spot for a technology industry group, through its chair Robyn Denholm.
Universities and their academics are well represented among the 142-person list, which has ballooned from an initial plan of around 100 places, but dedicated science and technology research groups have missed out.
Leaders of Australia’s innovation community like universities, professors, tech businesses, researchers, scientists and thinktanks have secured about a quarter of the total places.
Green tech company Sea Forest chief Sam Elsom also secured a spot, after being recognised as one of the country’s best innovators.
Half the list is reserved for businesses and unions, which Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Treasurer Jim Chalmers have ensured have equal representation.
Academics, community organisations, and lobby groups each hold between 12 and 15 per cent of the invites, with state and territory government, super funds and two independent experts making up the remainder.
The 142-person list includes the nation’s six premiers and two chief ministers, but does not count the federal politicians who will attend like Mr Albanese, Mr Chalmers, Industry and Science minister Ed Husic, and Nationals leader David Littleproud.
Opposition leader Peter Dutton and his deputy and shadow industry spokesperson Sussan Ley will not attend, having labelled the Summit a stunt.
Atlassian cofounder Scott Farquhar will represent his software business, which this week laid out plans to hire more than 1000 more technology professionals across Australia and New Zealand over the next 12 months.
He will be joined by fellow founders Luke Anear of SafetyCulture and Sea Forest’s Sam Elsom, who last year won InnovationAus.com’s top award in recognition of his innovative approach to reducing the greenhouse gas emissions from livestock. Both SafetyCulture and Sea Forest are examples of globally-focused startups that were founded in the regions.
The wider tech sector will be represented by the Tech Council of Australia and its chair Robyn Denholm, who also chairs global car manufacturing giant Tesla.
Other ICT industry groups did not secure an invite. Nor did science and STEM groups STA and ATSE.
Professionals Australia, which counts engineers, IT professionals, and scientists among its 20,00 members will be present through its chief executive Jill McCabe.
Universities groups, education unions and individual academics have secured more than a dozen places, including Universities Australia boss Catriona Jackson and National Tertiary Education Union president Dr Alison Barnes.
Flinders University Professor John Spoehr, who directs the Australian Industrial Transformation Institute, has an invite, and will be representing South Australia’s Factory of the Future project to grow advanced manufacturing.
Immigration expert Dr Abul Rizvi and businesswoman Catherine Livingstone have been named on the final list as its only independent experts.
Mr Chalmers said on Wednesday that the new government had tried to strike a balance on representing the Australian economy but said many more people had to be left out
“The reality is you can’t invite everyone that you would like to invite. You’ve got to make some difficult decisions when you’re putting together the invitation list,” Mr Chalmers said.
“Have we got it perfectly right? Who knows? But we’ve got a good representative cross section of the Australian economy and the Australian community, and we can’t lose sight of the bigger picture here, which is trying to find some common ground about our big economic challenges.”
Proposals and agreements from the two-day Jobs and Skills Summit will inform a Treasury economic whitepaper aimed at significant economic reforms. This paper will be open to public consultation.
The full list of invitees:
| Dylan Alcott | Australian of the Year |
| Mohammad Al-Khafaji | Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia |
| The Hon Daniel Andrews MP | Victorian Government |
| Luke Anear | SafetyCulture |
| Julia Angrisano | Finance Sector Union |
| John Azarias | The Lysicrates Foundation |
| Cr Anne Baker | Isaac Regional Council |
| Brad Banducci | Woolworths |
| Dr Alison Barnes | National Tertiary Education Union |
| Andrew Barr MLA | Australian Capital Territory Government |
| Karen Batt | Community and Public Sector Union |
| Dale Beasley | SA Unions |
| Debby Blakey | HESTA Super Fund |
| Anna Bligh AC | Australian Banking Association |
| Professor Jeff Borland | University of Melbourne |
| Poul Bottern | National Australian Apprenticeship Association |
| Alexi Boyd | Council of Small Business Organisations Australia |
| Saviour Buhagiar | Uniting NSW/ACT |
| Annie Butler | Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation |
| Simon Butt | Master Builders Australia |
| Christy Cain | Construction Forestry Maritime Mining and Energy Union |
| Steven Cain | Coles |
| Debra Cerasa | Jobs Australia |
| Professor Sara Charlesworth | RMIT University |
| Scott Charlton | Transurban |
| Melinda Cilento | Committee for Economic Development of Australia |
| Michael Clifford | Queensland Council of Unions |
| Scott Connolly | Australian Council of Trade Unions |
| Tania Constable PSM | Minerals Council of Australia |
| Christine Cooper | Independent Education Union |
| Professor Allan Dale | Cooperative Research Centre for Developing Northern Australia |
| Helen Dalley-Fisher | Equality Rights Alliance |
| Jon Davies | Australian Constructors Association |
| Emma Dawson | Per Capita |
| Robyn Denholm | Tech Council of Australia |
| Georgie Dent | The Parenthood |
| Mark Diamond | Rail, Tram and Bus Union |
| Jenny Dodd | TAFE Directors Australia |
| Lin Hatfield Dodds | Benevolent Society |
| Melissa Donnelly | Community and Public Sector Union |
| Professor Alan Duncan | Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre |
| Adrian Dwyer | Infrastructure Partnerships Australia |
| Gerard Dwyer | Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees’ Association |
| Ben Eade | Manufacturing Australia |
| Brent Eastwood | JBS Foods |
| Terese Edwards | National Council of Single Mothers & their Children |
| Sam Elsom | Sea Forest |
| Scott Farquhar | Atlassian |
| Stephen Ferguson | Australian Hotels Association |
| Dr Cathy Foley AO PSM | Office of the Chief Scientist |
| Steve Fordham | Blackrock Industries |
| Dr Andrew Forrest AO | Fortescue Metals Group, The Minderoo Foundation |
| Professor Anthony Forsyth | RMIT University |
| Andrew Fraser | Griffith University |
| The Hon Natasha Fyles MLA | Northern Territory Government |
| Pat Garcia | Catholic Health Australia |
| Professor Ross Garnaut | University of Melbourne and Zen Energy |
| Dr Ben Gauntlett | Australian Human Rights Commission |
| Professor Sue Gordon | Flinders University |
| John Grimes | Smart Energy Council |
| Correna Haythorpe | Australian Education Union |
| Mike Henry | BHP |
| Luke Hilakari | Victorian Trades Hall Council |
| Leanne Ho | Economic Justice Australia |
| Carolyn Hodge | People with Disability Australia |
| Christine Holgate | Toll Group Express |
| Dr Joanna Howe | University of Adelaide |
| Catriona Jackson | Universities Australia |
| Kate Jenkins | Australian Human Rights Commission |
| Fiona Jose | Cape York Institute/Cape York Partnerships |
| Matt Journeaux | Australasian Meat Industry Employees Union |
| Alan Joyce AC | Qantas Group |
| Michael Kaine | Transport Workers Union |
| Tal Karp | The Y Australia |
| Tim Kennedy | United Workers Union |
| Alison Kitchen | KPMG |
| Dr Sharlene Leroy-Dyer | Australian Council of Trade Unions |
| Megan Lilly | Australian Industry Group |
| Catherine Livingstone AO | expert |
| Jenny Macaffer | Adult Learning Australia |
| Edwina MacDonald | Australian Council of Social Service |
| Erin Madeley | Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance |
| The Hon Peter Malinauskas MP | South Australian Government |
| Professor Shelley Mallett | Brotherhood of St. Laurence |
| Jill McCabe | Professionals Australia |
| Professor John McCallum | National Seniors Australia |
| Professor Shae McCrystal | University of Sydney |
| Samantha McCulloch | APPEA |
| The Hon Mark McGowan MLA | Western Australian Government |
| Andrew McKellar | Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry |
| Sally McManus | Australian Council of Trade Unions |
| Sarah McNamara | Australian Energy Council |
| Wayne Miller | Ceduna Aboriginal Corporation |
| Carmel Monaghan | Ramsay Health Care |
| Mark Morey | Unions NSW |
| Sam Mostyn AO | Chief Executive Women |
| John Mullen | Telstra |
| Jessica Munday | Unions Tasmania |
| Steve Murphy | Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union |
| Christine Nixon AO APM | Royal Australian College of General Practitioners |
| Liam O’Brien | Australian Council of Trade Unions |
| Michele O’Neil | Australian Council of Trade Unions |
| Teri O’Toole | Flight Attendants Association of Australia |
| Kelly O’Shanassy | Australian Conservation Foundation |
| Margy Osmond | Tourism & Transport Forum |
| Samantha Page | Early Childhood Australia |
| The Hon Annastacia Palaszczuk MP | Queensland Government |
| Kellie Parker | Rio Tinto |
| The Hon Dominic Perrottet MP | NSW Government |
| Yasmin Poole | Youth advocate |
| Robert Potter | Australian Services Union |
| Anthony Pratt | Visy |
| Mina Radhakrishnan | :Different |
| Tim Reed | Business Council of Australia |
| Jade Ritchie | Unions NT |
| Dr Abul Rizvi PSM | expert |
| The Hon Jeremy Rockliff MP | Tasmanian Government |
| Luke Rycken | Australian Youth Affairs Coalition |
| Paul Schroder | AustralianSuper |
| Cr Linda Scott | Australian Local Government Association |
| Rob Scott | Wesfarmers |
| Tom Seymour | PricewaterhouseCoopers |
| Alex Simpson | Westcoast Renewable Energy |
| Fiona Simson | National Farmers’ Federation |
| Sally Sinclair | National Employment Services Association |
| Carolyn Smith | Unions WA |
| Professor John Spoehr | Flinders University, Factory of the Future |
| Jodie Taylor | Supply Nation |
| Kane Thornton | Clean Energy Council |
| Kasey Tomkins | Unions ACT |
| Pat Turner | Coalition of Peaks |
| Ainslie van Onselen | Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand |
| Daniel Walton | Australian Workers’ Union |
| Kate West | Arup |
| Jennifer Westacott AO | Business Council of Australia |
| Lloyd Williams | Health Services Union |
| Troy Williams | Independent Tertiary Education Council Australia |
| Innes Willox | Australian Industry Group |
| Danielle Wood | The Grattan Institute |
| Michael Wright | Communications, Electrical and Plumbing Union |
| Micky Wunungmurra | Arnhem Land Progress Aboriginal Corporation |
| Paul Zahra | Australian Retailers Association |
