India Business Mission

The Hon. M.L.J. HAMILTON-SMITH (Waite—Minister for Investment and Trade, Minister for Small Business, Minister for Defence and Space Industries, Minister for Health Industries, Minister for Veterans' Affairs) (14:21): I seek leave to make a ministerial statement.

Leave granted.

The Hon. M.L.J. HAMILTON-SMITH: Last week, I led the state government business mission to India. I was accompanied by around 50 delegates looking to do business with their counterparts in Mumbai, Delhi, Jaipur and Bengaluru, and to further develop trade and investment opportunities for South Australia. We were also joined by Multicultural Affairs Minister Zoe Bettison and His Excellency the Hon. Hieu Van Le AC, Governor of South Australia.

India is South Australia's fourth largest trading partner, with two-way trade valued in Australian dollars at $1.12 billion in 2016. The latest trade figures show that, in the 12 months to September 2017, the value of South Australia's goods exported to India totalled $945 million. This was an increase of 55 per cent, or $334 million, on the previous 12 months.

Thousands of jobs hinge on the India trading relationship right here in South Australia. Recognising the importance of the India region, the South Australia-India Engagement Strategy is a 10-year plan to grow strategic partnerships with India through investment, trade and business, education, sport, culture, the arts and sciences, and through exchanging people, skills and ideas.

The delegation's key areas of focus included the trade sectors where we can principally influence outcomes. Commodities are important in our trading relationship. They tend to look after themselves to a degree, but the areas based around the SME sector that we can help with include education, skills and training, premium food and wine, beverages, defence and advanced manufacturing, health, water and environment management, culture, tourism and the arts.

India is South Australia's second largest source of international students, with 3,563 enrolments in 2016. South Australian delegate, Ironwood Careers and Training, signed an MOU with the International Horticulture Innovation and Training Centre to train students in both Rajasthan and Adelaide.

To assist in growing our wine exports to India, I was pleased to announce our appointment of an in-market wine professional, Mr Rajiv Singhal, who over the next two years will build awareness, educate and create knowledge about the South Australian wine industry in India through the Wine Education Program. I was encouraged by the degree to which wine is now being taken up in India as an opportunity.

The launch of the Rajasthan Centre of Excellence in Water and Resources Management is an outcome that I am extremely proud of. This centre will facilitate investment in and access to South Australian water research, policy and technical capabilities in several areas such as groundwater research, managed aquifer recharge, water quality management services, including the establishment of laboratories, agricultural reform, and education, training and capacity building.

Further, Hydro-dis, a South Australia-based water treatment company that was represented on the mission, delivered a water treatment pilot project to prove its technology. Can I commend the Minister for the Environment in the other place for his support and also the involvement of the former minister for water Ms Karlene Maywald, who has been very active in assisting South Australian businesses to leverage off these opportunities.

I was also pleased to support the signing of a new partnership between South Australian suspension maker Supashock and an Indian automotive manufacturer. Supashock will design and develop prototype suspension technology to be trialled by the manufacturer. If the trials prove successful, Supashock will supply shock absorbers for the current production and modification of existing vehicles. This will be an extremely big contract, if it comes off. The partnership is a direct outcome of last year's India trade mission and will see Supashock extend its research and development and export capabilities, creating new jobs for South Australians here at home.

Our Adelaide Festival Centre conducted talks with the organisers of the Jaipur Literary Festival to explore the potential for Adelaide to host a satellite of the literary event, which resulted in the signing of an MOU. I will be very nice to the Treasurer over the next six months to see if we can fund that. This highlights our sister-state agreement with Rajasthan, which goes beyond the usual economic and trade portfolios, as does our art engagement program. We want India to be part of South Australia's future growth and we want to be part of India's. Encouraging and engaging with India will create further opportunities to access new markets to enable South Australian businesses to remain globally competitive.

In 2017, a record number of businesses, particularly businesses looking to trade for the first time, have taken part in business missions to the Middle East, South-East Asia, Europe, India and China. New markets were targeted in Scandinavia and the USA, and there has been additional focus on France from a defence perspective. International engagement is the future for jobs and enterprise in South Australia. The number of new exporting businesses has now grown by more than 200 in the last couple of years. Value and volume of exports are up and the outlook is very bright. More than 72,000 South Australian jobs are now linked to export activity. That is meals on the table every night and it is a big win for South Australian families.