Lot Fourteen

Mr DULUK (Waite) (14:18): My question is to the Minister for Innovation and Skills. Can the minister please update the house on recent—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, members on my left! Contain yourselves. Member for Waite.

Mr DULUK: My question is to the Minister for Innovation and Skills. Can the minister update the house on recent developments at the start-up hub at Lot Fourteen?

The Hon. D.G. PISONI (Unley—Minister for Innovation and Skills) (14:19): Yes, I can, and it's getting very exciting down at that address. Can you imagine how uninteresting it would have been as a housing estate—the proposal from those opposite?

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. D.G. PISONI: Last week, the Premier and I announced leading innovation hub managers Stone and Chalk as the anchor tenant for the fixed start-up hub at Lot Fourteen, establishing the hub as part of the Marshall Liberal government's commitment to accelerating the growth of start-up business here in South Australia and to making South Australia the nation's start-up capital.

South Australia provides an ideal environment for entrepreneurs to develop their ideas and take them to market. The start-up hub will support innovators and entrepreneurs to thrive in new and growing industries, such as cybersecurity, defence, space, artificial intelligence, data analytics, robotics and creative industries.

Increased entrepreneurial activity, jobs and economic growth will see South Australia at the forefront of global innovation and enterprise. The hub will attract entrepreneurs and start-ups looking to scale into national and global markets and will support up to 650 workspaces. It will have conference rooms, event facilities and meeting spaces designed to promote innovation and collaboration between entrepreneurs.

Mr Brown interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Playford is warned.

The Hon. D.G. PISONI: On Friday night, I had the privilege, along with the Premier and the Chief Entrepreneur, Jim Whalley, to launch the Future Industries eXchange for Entrepreneurship, or the FIXE strategy. The event attracted 450 entrepreneurs, innovators and those who support them. After extensive consultation with the local start-up community, the strategy was developed under the leadership of South Australia's first Chief Entrepreneur—don't you just love that, Mr Speaker, South Australia's first Chief Entrepreneur? What does that say about South Australia? It says that things are changing in South Australia—and, of course, his entrepreneurial advisory board.

Mr Duluk interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Waite is called to order.

The Hon. D.G. PISONI: The FIXE strategy will help create an environment of business opportunity. The FIXE strategy is linked to our overarching objectives, which are to inspire, equip, enable and celebrate entrepreneurship here in South Australia. It will accelerate South Australia's economic growth and prosperity as it recaptures the entrepreneurial spirit that founded and built this state. It will see more South Australians becoming ambitious, successful entrepreneurs and attract more entrepreneurs and future industries to invest in South Australia.

The appointment of Stone and Chalk as Lot Fourteen managers, in conjunction with the FIXE strategy launch, is key to our ambition for entrepreneurship and the expanding career opportunities here in South Australia. The Marshall Liberal government is encouraging more South Australians with entrepreneurial ambitions to reach their full potential.

This is happening through initiatives such as the Research, Commercialisation and Startup Fund, the South Australian government's Supporting Innovation in South Australia visa pilot (that is a pilot for an entrepreneurial visa exclusive to South Australia), continued investment in digital infrastructure through GigCity—the member for Giles and the member for Mount Gambier will be pleased to know that very soon they will be hooked up to the GigCity network here in Adelaide—and, of course, the Adelaide City Deal.

These are just some of the things that are happening in South Australia, and the Marshall Liberal government is making South Australia the destination of choice for entrepreneurs and careers in the new economy.