South Australian-Northern Territory Ministers' Forum

Mr HUGHES (Giles) (14:08): My question is to the Premier. Can the Premier inform the house what the government is doing to explore economic development opportunities with the Northern Territory government and improve services across the border?

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Premier) (14:09): As tempting as it would be to take back our Northern Territory—sadly ceded, I must shamefully say, by a Labor premier in 1911—we have settled for cooperation.

In April 2015, after actually writing to three chief ministers—Mr Henderson, Mr Mills, and then, finally, Mr Giles—we got an important meeting, which was a meeting of first ministers for the signing of a memorandum of understanding to work together to unlock economic opportunities in the Central Australian corridor.

As part of the MOU, the Chief Minister and I meet annually to discuss issues that affect both our jurisdictions. Last Wednesday, I met with the Northern Territory Chief Minister, Adam Giles, in Adelaide for the second First Ministers' Forum. Our discussion was wideranging and incredibly productive. In terms of improved services, we had an important discussion about family violence in remote communities. Both governments committed $100,000 towards funding a number of initiatives to support better coordination and culturally appropriate services in the APY lands region which spans our two jurisdictions.

Discussions last week also focused on creating economic opportunities for Aboriginal people. Given that approximately 30 per cent of the Northern Territory population is Aboriginal, compared with 2 per cent in South Australia, obviously we face very different challenges; nevertheless, we have been, I think, inspired by the Northern Territory government's approach to government procurement and the way in which they have driven business and employment opportunities for Aboriginal Northern Territorians.

We discussed how government procurement would be a crucial tool to advance the interests of Aboriginal people. Sustainable camel farming in remote areas was also discussed, and we have since released a viability study that both our jurisdictions commissioned on developing the Central Australian camel meat industry.

A significant part of the forum was dedicated to exploring the opportunities to support the native foods and premium meats industry. We also held a very successful round table, with around 20 industry representatives from both South Australia and the Northern Territory, about the opportunities and challenges for the native foods and premium meat industries. The opportunities are significant. I was told the native foods sector is one of the fastest growing sectors in Australia right now, growing from about $10 million a year in 2010 to $75 million a year in 2016.

Given that the majority of the activity currently occurs in South Australia and the Northern Territory, we have an opportunity to corner this emerging market and capitalise on the global demand for premium products like this. It's crucial that we don't lose the ownership of these important native foods. The salutary case is the macadamia nut, which most people regard as being grown elsewhere but is in fact an Australian native.

The forum also discussed a range of avenues for cooperation between our jurisdictions. We received an update on the work we are doing jointly to market tourism opportunities we offer. I provided the Chief Minister with an update on the South Australian government's response to the Nuclear Fuel Cycle Royal Commission and, in particular, the broad consultation that is underway. We also discussed the need for us to maintain our strong commitment to horizontal fiscal equalisation arrangements which, if they were removed, would massively punish South Australia and the Northern Territory.

Finally, we agreed to continue to advocate for increased commonwealth involvement in the area of early childhood education. This is, we think, at the heart of addressing disadvantage, especially in Aboriginal communities. The forum does provide a fantastic platform and productive way in which the two jurisdictions can advance our relationship to the mutual benefit of our communities, and we look forward to deepening this collaboration with the Northern Territory.