When it comes to cheques, we cannot postpone decisions that are going to help people, Prime Minister Robert Abela said on Wednesday.

Speaking during a political event in Msida, Abela said that, unlike the Opposition Leader, who is saying that the PL is practicing bad governance by distributing the tax refund and stimulus cheques, the government is giving support to the nation. He added that this is not a gimmick.

Speaking about the education sector, Abela said that there is going to be a strong investment, and that the PL is already in talks to improve the collective agreement of educators, which will see their salaries substantially increased.

Speaking about the sports sector, Abela said that physical activity gives people values which they can apply in several other sectors. He added that physical activity improves the mental health wellbeing of the nation. He said that when visiting MCAST, he was very pleased to know that students were choosing a career in the sports sector, to which he added that this is all possible thanks to past incentives.

A PL government wants to give an equal level playing field with its measures in the industry, with opportunities for the youngest generation.

Speaking about mental health, Abela said he believes that there needs to be a mature discussion.

Abela said that there needs to be a culture of change in the transport sector, and with proposed measures in the industry, Labour is incentivising this.

Speaking about the business sector, Abela said that if it weren’t for the wage supplement there would have been around 100,000 jobs lost and “we wouldn’t have the present problem of not having enough workers, for the industries”.

He added that Malta needs to start addressing its human resources demands as currently there are skills gaps. He said that this can be achieved by investing in training for works to better their skills.