House of Assembly Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1) 52 1 Parliament of South Australia House of Assembly published Question Time Agribusiness Council AGRIBUSINESS COUNCIL Mr BIGNELL House of Assembly Mawson AGRIBUSINESS COUNCIL Mr BIGNELL (Mawson) (14:52): My question is for the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries. Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order, member for Unley! Mr BIGNELL House of Assembly Mr BIGNELL: Could the minister inform the house about the soon to be established South Australian Agribusiness Council and what role this council will play in the continued development of South Australia's agrifood and agribusiness sectors? The Hon. M.F. O'BRIEN House of Assembly Napier Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries Minister for Forests Minister for Energy Minister for the Northern Suburbs The Hon. M.F. O'BRIEN (Napier—Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries, Minister for Forests, Minister for Energy, Minister for the Northern Suburbs) (14:53): I thank the member for Mawson for this question. In 2010— Mr Williams interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order, member for MacKillop! The Hon. M.F. O'BRIEN House of Assembly The Hon. M.F. O'BRIEN: In 2010 I conducted a review of our industry engagement mechanisms, including the Premier's Food Council, the South Australian Advisory Board of Agriculture and a number of industry development boards. What became clear from this review was that the government needed to engage agribusiness and agrifood industries at the highest levels in order to identify both growth opportunities and restraints so as to assist the development of these sectors in South Australia. To that end, I have decided to establish a high-level advisory group to be named the South Australian Agribusiness Council. I intend that the members of the Agribusiness Council will be sector leaders and will represent the agriculture, finance, education and corporate aspects of the sector. The agribusiness and agrifood sectors in South Australia continue to be major components of the South Australian economy. To highlight the significance of these sectors to our state, it is important to note that the gross food revenue for the 2009-10 financial year was around $12.4 billion. Further to this, the wine industry contributed an additional $1.8 billion in gross revenue to the South Australian economy. Additional to the revenue that these sectors generate for our economy is their contribution to employment in this state. It is estimated that approximately 18 per cent of South Australians are employed in the agriculture, food and wine industries and associated sectors. In recognition of the sector's importance to this state's economy, the Agribusiness Council will work with me to identify emerging domestic and international opportunities that will enhance the sustainable economic development of the agrifood and agribusiness sectors in South Australia. The council will also act as a high level conduit between industry and the state government in order to identify potential issues which are inhibiting sustainable economic development of the agrifood and agribusiness sectors in South Australia. The Australian government is currently developing a national food plan and it is my intention that the South Australian Agribusiness Council will not only be influenced by the plan but will also make significant inputs in the direction that plan ultimately takes. Food security is now one of the most pressing concerns for many nations around the world, not least those in our own region. Governments are seeking to ensure their ability to feed their growing populations through increased domestic production and also through assured trading relationships with other nations. It is estimated that by the year 2050 there will be a 70 per cent increase in the demand for food on a global basis. Australia and South Australia are well placed to respond to this challenge of feeding an increasingly large global population. Our research and development is world class, as are our farming practices. We are also regarded as a reliable supplier, with the necessary transport and handling infrastructure to facilitate further growth. What the South Australian Agribusiness Council will do is assist the state's farming, fishing and finished food sectors in determining international and domestic opportunities and facilitating the measures necessary to develop those opportunities.