Wool Industry

Ms DIGANCE (Elder) (14:15): My question is to the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The Minister for Health is warned for taunting the Leader of the Opposition, who is also called to order for making an indecipherable response. Member for Elder.

Mr Marshall: Sir, I can spell it if you would like.

The SPEAKER: Yes, do that. Bring it to me. Member for Elder.

Ms DIGANCE: Minister, can you update the house on how local businesses are working together to support the South Australian wool industry?

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL (Mawson—Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Minister for Forests, Minister for Tourism, Minister for Recreation and Sport, Minister for Racing) (14:16): I thank the member for Elder and pay tribute to her great work looking after the small businesses in her area and also further afield. I was delighted to attend a site visit with her a few weeks ago where we saw an amazing coming together of three South Australian companies: one was Silver Fleece. Many people would know or have seen that brand, Silver Fleece.

They have been operating since 1951 down in your electorate, Mr Speaker, at Kilkenny, and do a tremendous job in making lots of private-school school uniforms and a lot of scarfs for sporting clubs, as well as the Australian cricket jumpers. Those Australian cricket jumpers have been made right here in South Australia for the past 40 years.

The reason behind the visit was that the member for Elder works very, very closely with the Edwardstown Regional Business Association. They have 100 members, and they are looking after businesses further afield than their own Edwardstown boundaries. Their motto is to grow South Australian businesses 'one job at a time'. If each of the 100 people they have as members of their association can take on one more person, then it's going to create more jobs, which is what this government is all about. It's great to see groups out there working in this sort of collaborative way—a very positive way.

What was interesting there was that Silver Fleece, who have, as I said, been around since 1951, met Michell Wool, who have been around since about the 1870s, for the very first time, this year. Someone else who was at the gathering organised by the member for Elder and the Edwardstown Regional Business Association was a guy called Geoff Power, who I know very well as the livestock association president here in South Australia.

An honourable member: Livestock SA.

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL: Yes, from Livestock SA. He is a farmer from the lower Flinders Ranges—

Mr Griffiths: From Orroroo.

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL: —from Orroroo. He has sheep. He produces world-class wool, and he didn't know that Silver Fleece was a South Australian company based here, so it's terrific—

Ms Chapman: Are you wearing a woollen suit?

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL: I am wearing a woollen suit, yes.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL: Yes, exactly. I have the merino socks on as well, if you want to check. What is great is to see these associations and people like the member for Elder bringing businesses together—people who have been operating in their own little world, industriously working very hard, producing high-quality goods for export around the world and for use not just here in South Australia but for right around the country.

Now these three organisations—Michell, Livestock SA and Silver Fleece—are going to work together as part of that fibre to fashion program, where we tell proudly the story of our primary produce and then what we can make out of that, instead of exporting everything and letting the value-adding be done overseas to keep it here in South Australia and to make sure that we do the value-adding here so we create the jobs, we create the wealth, for our people here in South Australia.

We have also spoken to them about perhaps talking with the Industry Advocate here, Ian Nightingale, who was on the visit with us, to see whether the education department can do a contract with Silver Fleece about school uniforms for public schools here in our state. We want to get the state brand on scarves and other things that we can offer up for guests and visitors on delegation here to South Australia as well. We are going to work with Silver Fleece and other companies. I want to thank again the member for Elder for bringing this great South Australian company to my attention.

Mr Tarzia interjecting:

The SPEAKER: I call the member for Hartley to order, not for tapping the glass to indicate the minister's time has expired but for interrupting the minister twice during his answer. Leader.