State Export Figures

The Hon. M.L.J. HAMILTON-SMITH (Waite—Minister for Investment and Trade, Minister for Defence Industries, Minister for Veterans' Affairs) (14:17): I seek leave to make a ministerial statement.

Leave granted.

The Hon. M.L.J. HAMILTON-SMITH: South Australia's economic success has long been dependent on our capacity to engage and compete in international markets. As a small and isolated state, we have been best served by economic policies that attract trade and investment from beyond our own borders. Today, I tabled a report into the value of international and interstate economic activity to the South Australian economy, the first of its kind in recent years.

The report, titled Attributing Employment to Exports, identifies that 203,000 jobs are linked to economic activity outside the state in 2012-13; 65,000 of those jobs are linked directly to exports overseas. These jobs were created across all sectors of the economy, not just those primarily engaged in export activity, such as agriculture, mining or tourism.

The report identifies service exports as a major contributor to job creation, due to the labour intensity of this sector. These findings will inform the South Australian government's ongoing investment and trade strategies and implementation. We will continue to support small business, SME exporters, in all industries, through TradeStart, through the Export Partnership Program, and our international business missions. I commend the report the house.