Politics & Policy SNAPSHOT with Michaelia Cash

As Australia emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic, a rethink about how and where we will get the skills needed to restart our economy has put Senator Michaelia Cash at the centre of this transition.

The federal Minister for Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business is driving big changes in vocational training in an effort to better match skills and training with the jobs needed as business emerges from hibernation. Senator Cash believes that with big numbers of unemployed, reskilling has to be faster and more relevant to get people off the dole queues and into work.

Known for a combative approach, the 12-year veteran of federal politics acknowledges that collaboration across the political spectrum, including Labor-led states and key union bodies has brought the best out of the nation's democratic system and made a speedy reform agenda appear achievable.

And, despite her long-formed opposition to so-called big government, she believes the intervention into the economy with policies such as JobKeeper shows there is a time and place for everything – even the state supporting business.