Ministerial Statement

Datacom

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) (14:05): I seek leave to make a ministerial statement.

Leave granted.

The Hon. M.L.J. HAMILTON-SMITH: I advised the house yesterday that the government's Investment Attraction strategy had been successful in achieving and exceeding targets for job creation and investment into the state. One project announced in late 2016 is now ready for immediate commencement, with IT services group Datacom confirming today the start of refurbishment work at the TAFE site at Modbury. They will be advertising the jobs this week.

Once the $22 million project is complete, the IT hub is expected to accommodate more than 600 full-time staff working in customer care, operations and training. Refurbishment work will be completed as quickly as possible so employees can access the Datacom facility and start comprehensive training programs in the new year. Service delivery to national clients is estimated to begin in February 2018. The state government will contribute $5.335 million towards the centre through the Economic Investment Fund. The timing fits well, with former automotive industry professionals living in the area looking to start a new career path.

Jonathan Ladd, Datacom Group CEO, has advised the government that contractors working for Datacom have started work to convert an existing building on the TAFE SA premises to a contemporary training and customer care facility and IT hub. This follows collaboration between the Investment Attraction agency, TAFE SA, Workskil, and employment training organisation SYC, to expand Datacom's operations in South Australia, and the company says it is excited to move forward with this project.

As the Premier recently advised the house, Datacom's development of this additional facility will create hundreds of new jobs. As I mentioned, the company is now advertising roles to be based at the Modbury site, including customer service representatives, as well as specialist training and management roles.

I note that last month the member for Morialta claimed this project was 'yet another example of this government overspruiking and underdelivering'. The member appears to have misunderstood some of the complexities of Datacom's negotiations with their contractors and been premature in denigrating the project's progress. Datacom is an example of the government working with the private sector to deliver investment and jobs. We made the promise and we have delivered.

I congratulate Datacom on its perseverance and its confidence in the South Australian economy. For the hundreds of people about to get new jobs at Datacom, many of them in the member for Newland's electorate, we look forward to them carving out new careers at the national training and operations facility. Once again, the optimism about South Australia's prospects outweighs the pessimistic views of those who were hoping desperately that the project, along with others, would fail. Well, they were wrong.