The National Resource Sector Employment Taskforce will meet for the first time on 16 November 2009 at Parliament House in Canberra.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd announced the establishment of the taskforce to help secure up to 70,000 skilled workers nationally during his visit to Barrow Island in September 2009.

The taskforce is chaired by the Hon Gary Gray AO MP and will report to Minister for Employment Participation, Mark Arbib, and Minister for Resources and Energy, Martin Ferguson.

The taskforce is charged with developing a comprehensive workforce plan to assess skill needs and deliver the large number of skilled workers required in the resources sector over the next decade.

The taskforce has representatives from industry, the Australian Government as well as representatives from the Queensland and Western Australian State Governments and Skills Australia.

One of the first projects the taskforce will consider is the Gorgon LNG project in Western Australia, which at its peak will create about 10,000 direct and indirect jobs.

The Gorgon project is just one of approximately 80 planned or approved projects nationally which could see demand for skilled labour in the resource sector increase by up to 70 per cent.

Terms of reference for the taskforce and membership will be announced following the meeting.

For more details please see the media release.