South-East Asia Trade

The Hon. T.R. KENYON (Newland) (14:51): My question is to the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries. How is the government assisting South Australian businesses to export their goods and services to South-East Asia?

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) (14:51): I thank the member for Newland for the question and acknowledge the fine work that he did as a minister in getting out into markets overseas and taking trade delegations and ensuring that South Australian companies profited and that more and more jobs were created.

Last week, I led a delegation of around 50 South Australian delegates across many different sectors. We had two days in Singapore, two days in Kuala Lumpur and two days in Bangkok. We had very important meetings there and a range of one-on-one meetings organised by the people in our Department of State Development, who do a terrific job and I want to congratulate them. There were some really bespoke approaches for those individual businesses and companies that were over there, as well as things that we did in a collaborative and teamwork way, including dinners for 200-plus people in each of these cities, where we could tell the story about the transforming South Australian economy.

This visit was a follow-up visit to last year's delegation led by the Premier and the Minister for Trade, when our Premier went out there and launched South Australia's South-East Asia Engagement Strategy. What he did when he went to each of those three markets is he promised that we would be back at this time of year every year with a senior minister and a delegation of South Australian businesses so that we can grow our economy, these individuals can grow their businesses and they can create more jobs in our workforce.

It was terrific to see this week that some independent national figures came out that showed that jobs in our visitor economy grew by 4,000 in the past two years. That is tremendous news for our state. It did not happen by accident. We must thank the Treasurer for the $35 million he put in last year's budget towards tourism and the additional money that he put in this year's budget for tourism and for other sectors.

We have been recognised by the independent report by KPMG as the most competitive place in Australia to do business and the 23^rd most competitive place in the world to do business. When we were over in Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, that was the story we were telling these businesspeople. We sat down with one group who are the second biggest sovereign wealth investment group in Singapore. They are interested in investing in South Australia. They said, 'We don't write cheques less than $50 million and we prefer if the cheques are over $100 million.' This is the sort of scale we have to think of as South Australians. I think in the past we may have actually been underselling ourselves.

They gave us some ideas for the aquaculture industry, and I will be over with the member for Flinders tonight in his home town of Port Lincoln—a great part of the world and obviously a place that is so important for our fisheries and aquaculture centre—talking to the people in fisheries. The sort of investment they would like to see is an amalgamation of several different aquaculture companies that can bring together different seafood offerings so that all the risk is not just in one species. There is a little bit of food for thought for the aquaculture industry. The challenge is there, the investment is there, and if it is something they want to have a look at, we now have the contacts.

I would like to thank the trade commissioners and the ambassador in Bangkok and the head of missions in both Singapore and Malaysia for the great work their officers did in accommodating us. What they say is that Jay Weatherill, the Premier of South Australia, is leading the way. South Australia is leading the way in terms of trade delegations to South-East Asia. I think all sides of politics should get behind these moves and try to get more business done in South-East Asia.

The SPEAKER: The minister is called to order for using the Premier's Christian name and surname, which is out of order. Deputy leader.