Lot Fourteen

Dr HARVEY (Newland) (14:35): My question is to the Premier. Can the Premier please update the house on the business delegation currently visiting Adelaide from Silicon Valley and how Lot Fourteen is playing a role in connecting investors with local start-ups?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL (Dunstan—Premier) (14:35): I thank the member for Newland for his question regarding one of two delegations that we have visiting South Australia this week. Interestingly, both those delegations have a real interest in cybersecurity. It goes without saying that there are an increasing number of attacks on our government and on all governments and on corporations and on individuals—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: It goes without saying that there are an increasing number of attacks on our government, on other governments around the world, on corporates and on individuals. These attacks are increasing; the threat is growing day by day. In fact, even within the South Australian government we had a double-digit increase in the number of attacks on our own state government systems.

That's why we are doing everything we can to improve the cybersecurity that we have here in South Australia. The threat is real and the threat is growing, but we also need to look at the flipside of this issue because I think that there is a business opportunity, a commercial opportunity, which exists to take our cybersecurity capability in South Australia and sell it to the world.

We are very lucky in South Australia to have enormously growing defence contracts coming to South Australia. This means that many of the primes are based here in South Australia. What we see from those primes is that they have very good cybersecurity themselves but long supply chains. This creates an opportunity for South Australian cybersecurity companies in South Australia to look at that opportunity for working on the defence companies but also taking that information and applying it to other companies, other opportunities, in South Australia, in Australia, APAC and, indeed, globally.

Most recently, I travelled to the US for the G'Day USA conference and activities. There were many, many high-tech companies that we met with, both high-tech in the defence sector, the cyber sector and the space sector. This was a great opportunity. I travelled with the Minister for Industry and Skills, and I also travelled with the Chief Entrepreneur in South Australia, Mr Jim Whalley.

As part of that delegation, we met with many of these companies, and we invited them to come back to South Australia. It's great to have a reciprocal visit back to South Australia so quickly. These people represent some very large companies and investors in this sector. I am very pleased to say that, as part of our activities in South Australia, there will be a pitch fest from South Australian companies looking to attract international investment and to grow their companies in South Australia.

I think there is just absolutely enormous opportunity in future industries, and that's why we as a government rejected the previous government's plan for the old Royal Adelaide Hospital site to put 1,300 apartments on that site. We said that a better use of that site would be to really create a very, very valuable site that would drive investment and drive innovation, start-up and scale-up and, most importantly, jobs for our future generation.

We are only 10 months into our time in government, but I see a new feeling of confidence in South Australia. I think Lot Fourteen is a big part of it, and we need to make sure that we can do everything that we possibly can to create those jobs for the future, and that's exactly and precisely what we will do every day that we are in government.

Mr Brown interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Playford will leave for half an hour under 137A. Thank you.

The honourable member for Playford having withdrawn from the chamber:

The SPEAKER: The deputy leader has the call.