TradeStart

Mr PICTON (Kaurna) (14:54): My question is to the Minister for Investment and Trade. Minister, how is TradeStart contributing to an increase in goods exporters in South Australia?

The Hon. M.L.J. HAMILTON-SMITH (Waite—Minister for Investment and Trade, Minister for Small Business, Minister for Defence Industries, Minister for Veterans' Affairs) (14:55): I thank the member for Kaurna for his question because the latest ABS figures show that the total number of South Australian goods exporters grew by 202 in 2015-16 over 2014-15, to a total of nearly 2,600. It is an 8.6 per cent growth in the number exporters, and that is the highest growth of any of the states. This state, which the banks say is devoid of investment, is actually exploding in terms of the number of investors, despite their best efforts to rip the state down.

It has taken hard work and a partnership between business and government at the state and federal level to achieve that outcome. I place on record today the government's appreciation for the work of the federal agency, Austrade. The TradeStart network is an extension of Austrade's offices and it is delivered in partnership with the Department of State Development (DSD) here in South Australia. The prime objective is to assist South Australian exporters to achieve long-term success in international markets, which they are doing.

TradeStart provides critical export advice and facilitation services to small and medium-sized businesses utilising the resources of both Austrade and DSD. TradeStart provides advice and information to South Australian exporters on a range of things: doing business in overseas markets including market entry strategies; general international marketing and promotional advice; international industry insights; referrals to specialist professional services, business matters and cultural tips; selecting potential export markets, etc.

Each TradeStart adviser delivers services within a defined geographic area within SA. We have someone looking after the northern metro area, the southern metro area, northern regional South Australia, south-east regional South Australia and the Riverland. In 2015-16, TradeStart facilitated almost $50 million in export sales. The latest ABS statistics show that the number of South Australian goods exporters, as I mentioned, has grown. It is heading towards 2,600, and that comes after growth in 2014-15 of 4 per cent.

Nationally, goods exporter numbers also grew in 2015-16, but by a far lesser figure of 5.4 per cent. SA's percentage increase was higher than that of any other state. This is a demonstrable impact of the government's programs that have delivered these figures. TradeStart signed up 56 new exporters as clients in the 11 months to the end of May 2017 and has for three successive financial years now exceeded the target of 50 exporters annually. South Australia's exports have now reached $15.12 billion, not the fake news figure put out by the leader today of $11 billion. They can't even read the ABS statistics. They don't even understand the very basics of economics. We get grade 9 and 10 economics from them whether we are talking about banks or trade.

Mr GARDNER: Point of order: the minister is debating.

The Hon. M.L.J. HAMILTON-SMITH: It's like being a primary school teacher when you're before those opposite, but I would make the point—

The SPEAKER: The point of order from the member for Morialta is upheld.

Mr GARDNER: The second point of order: he was undermining your authority as well and he shouldn’t do that.

The Hon. M.L.J. HAMILTON-SMITH: Mr Speaker, 72,000 Australian jobs are now dependent on exports; 72,000 meals on the table every night as a result of exports. And what are those opposite and the banks doing? Trying to do damage to that wilfully in their own self-interest. These results are due to the hard work of our exporters and the state government's export programs that concentrate on higher value-added sectors which create more jobs and on new small exporters. We are out there getting results while those opposite and the banks are trying to rip us down.