Overseas Trade Offices

Mr WHETSTONE (Chaffey) (15:18): Today, I rise to talk about the South Australian Liberal Party's positive plan to grow exports, boost the economy and create jobs in South Australia. This month, the state Liberal leader announced a policy that, if elected in 2018, we would open four new commercial trade offices in Japan, Malaysia, UAE and the United States. This policy is a commitment to growing our export and investment opportunities and investing for the long term, strengthening our relationships and our connections across the world.

Currently, South Australia has just two independent trade offices—our office in Jinan, China, which has just moved to larger premises and has expanded from one staff member to two, and the Agent-General's office in the UK. South Australia had maintained representative offices since the 1970s and peaked at 12 offices in the 1990s. In comparison with other mainland Australian states, Victoria has 18 international offices, Queensland has 15, Western Australia has 11 and New South Wales has six, and an analysis particularly of the New South Wales model shows that, on return, outcome on investment for their trade offices is significant.

We see the importance of providing our exporters with a permanent on the ground resource in key markets in central locations that are easily accessible, and these offices are complemented by our extensive network of officers embedded with Austrade in other countries. Regional trade commissioners in each of our overseas offices will cover a large area in what is a hub and spoke approach.

The markets in which we have announced four overseas trade offices are vitally important to South Australia. We will have staff dedicated to creating export and investment opportunities on the ground in these countries. Malaysia is an ideal gateway for South Australia into South-East Asia and is the state's third largest export market, making up around 7 per cent of our export share. In addition, there are direct air flights to Kuala Lumpur from Adelaide. There is the ability to hub and spoke to neighbouring markets in the ASEAN region within two hours. Malaysia is also a growing export destination for South Australian premium products, as well as service export opportunities, including aged care and technology.

In Japan, the South Australian government currently has no representatives, despite Australia having a free trade agreement with Japan. We believe that Japan is a market with great opportunities for South Australia. It is our fifth largest export market at around 5 per cent of our export market share and a key gateway into north-east Asia. There is demand for our clean green products under blue skies, particularly in premium wine and food and services, such as education, aged care and health care.

Australia's economy is forecast to be $24 billion larger by 2035 because of the free trade agreements with China, Japan and South Korea, and South Australia must take advantage of this. The two other offices will be based in the UAE and the United States, both important trading partners in which South Australia currently has no permanent on the ground presence. The Middle East makes up around 5 per cent of our exports and the US is our second largest export market. There are huge advantages and opportunities for South Australia to tap into both these markets, and I am excited about the export opportunities and investment the state can generate through our four offices.

China will continue to be our largest and most important trading partner, and that is why we are committed to the South Australian office in Jinan. We also currently have a representative embedded in Austrade in Shanghai, and I would love to see the state's exports with China grow even further. I have been working with industry and the business community in putting together a comprehensive policy to boost South Australia's international trade and support our exporters under a Marshall Liberal government.

Currently, our export performance has fallen behind the rest of Australia and our national export share sits at around 4 per cent, when it was 7.4 per cent when Labor came to office in 2002. We believe in an export-led transformation of South Australia's economy and we are prepared to invest in that transformation. Under our plan, we will have a minister with sole responsibility for exports heading an agency with the same mission to drive a whole-of-government export policy. Our program includes the already announced Globe Link, a combination of new road, rail and airport infrastructure to provide a generational upgrade of our freight export infrastructure; and investment into productive infrastructure.

Our approach to export growth will include providing export businesses and start-ups with training, mentoring and advice on boosting existing markets and securing new markets, with more focus on inbound trade missions, increased funding for more extensive eligibility criteria and export funding support. Marketing South Australia is critical if this export program is going to succeed. As to the business and innovation focus, there will be increased funding of initiatives to attract more international students to study in Adelaide and a targeted policy to grow our population and attract more skilled business migrants.

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