Time & Perspective Quote by Jay Weatherill

Growth, in Jay Weatherill's framing, isn't a feel-good slogan; it's a conditional contract. The sentence is built like a policy memo disguised as common sense: if you want prosperity, you must accept a particular kind of economy - and the kinds of people it rewards. That "if... then" structure does quiet coercive work, narrowing the range of legitimate debate. It implies that resisting the shift toward high-skill, tech-heavy industry isn't just a different economic philosophy; it's a vote against the state's future.

The key word is "increasingly". It acknowledges disruption without naming its culprits: automation, offshoring, the decline of manufacturing, the erosion of mid-skill jobs. By keeping those forces offstage, Weatherill avoids blame and keeps the message aspirational. The future "will" be with those industries - not might, not should. It's inevitability politics, the rhetorical move leaders use when they want compliance more than conversation.

There's also a tell in "our state's growth". Growth is treated as the primary civic good, not one value among others like stability, equity, or regional resilience. The subtext: education and training aren't just social investments; they're the entry fee for belonging. If you don't have the credentials, the future is still coming, but it may not include you.

Context matters: this reads like a pitch to voters and business leaders in a post-industrial moment, when governments sell "innovation" to counter job loss. It's pragmatic, even responsible - and also a warning that the labor market's new gatekeepers will be technical proficiency, not tenure or tradition.