Ministerial Statement

Visiting Delegation From Brittany

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL (Dunstan—Premier) (14:03): I seek leave to make a ministerial statement.

Leave granted.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: I am pleased to report to the house that a delegation from the region of Brittany is in Adelaide this week for a series of meetings to strengthen and progress the South Australia-Brittany sister-region relationship. This is the first large delegation to visit South Australia since this relationship was established in September 2017. I would like to acknowledge the member for Cheltenham for entering into this sister-region relationship.

The visit is focusing on developing closer, mutually beneficial economic ties with Brittany through strategic projects and increased trade and investment. The state government is committed to the continued investment in our relationship with Brittany and France. This investment is crucial if we are to maximise the economic benefits emerging from South Australia's role as the home to the national defence industry, which is underpinned by an $89 billion continuous shipbuilding program.

Brittany is an important hub of French industry, commerce and research and development, with many major French multinationals, including naval group, Dassault Systemes and Neoen, basing their operational and research centres there. Following my recent constructive meetings with President Macron and the French Foreign Minister, Le Drian, I am delighted to welcome more of our French friends to South Australia.

Ms Forough Salami-Dadkhah, the Vice-President for International and European Affairs, is leading the delegation, and it was a pleasure to meet with her, along with vice presidents Bernard Pouliquen and Ms Anne Gallo on Monday. This week, the delegation is visiting the Tonsley Innovation District, the Waite Institute and South Australia's leading cultural and educational institutions. They are also meeting with members of the cabinet and representatives of Business SA.

South Australia's growing cybersecurity sector and compatibility with Brittany's concentration of high-tech, cyber and associated industries mean that there are numerous opportunities for firms from Brittany in the defence supply chain and cyber sectors. We have already seen fantastic results in the education and research sectors, including the University of Adelaide and the National Institute of Advanced Technologies of Brittany (ENSTA Bretagne), which recently announced a new dual master's degree in marine engineering.

Flinders University and ENSTA Bretagne have partnered with French company Thales Group on exchanges and joint research in advanced solar and naval robotics technology. Several tertiary scholarship programs have also been put in place to foster and facilitate exchanges that support the successful local delivery of the Future Submarines program.

I thank the delegation for strongly supporting French Days on Campus. This event is taking place this week and will see representatives from French tertiary institutions visit Adelaide University, Flinders and the University of South Australia to promote study in France. The South Australian-Brittany sister-region relationship is still in its infancy, and I am committed, as is my counterpart, the President of Brittany, to continuing to develop key projects that will strengthen our bond and bring continued economic prosperity to both of our regions.