Ian Harper has nailed it

For the third time in as many months I have listened to this speech by Ian Harper on the economic history of Australia.

I needed to hear it three times to absorb all the detail and to pick up on all the nuanced content. This is a fantastic speech - clear, simple and well argued - even if I am a little slow in absorbing it. It should be compulsory listening for all Australian's - but particularly for those who are thinking about leaving school early.

His message is simple. As a nation, we can't rely into the future on the three great industries that have sustained us in the past - we must develop our intellectual capabilities and educate our future workers to do business in the "information economy".

The three great industries are of course - grazing, mining and agriculture. These have formed the basis for our national wealth and well being - and have done so since first settlement - because of the natural advantage that they enjoy in our part of the world.

We are blessed with good weather and abundant sunshine which has favoured grazing and agriculture and we are lucky enough to have enormous mineral wealth which has facilitated the establishment of a world class mining industry.

The problem is that none of these industries employ great numbers of people.

The main theme of Ian Harper's message is that like many nations we need to build and develop an economy that provides jobs for our people. And those jobs won't be in the three great industries - they will be in the services sector and the information economy.

To prosper in this "brave new world" we need workers who are educated and able to take advantage of the opportunities on offer. We need to apply "brain power" instead of "muscle power". We need "thinkers" and "doers". And we need to value them.

It's a great message and in my view it is absolutely correct. But there are enormous barriers to implementation - firstly, we must convince our people that they need a quality education and secondly we must make it easier for them to acquire one.

And the cynic in me says that both tasks are way too difficult. But perhaps that will change as the low skilled jobs disappear or at least as their pay rates continue to reduce. And with the neglect of the previous 30 years it will take a generation to rebuild our education infrastructure and systems.

All providing we get a move on and start doing something NOW. The real question is "Are the State Government's" listening.