Export Economy

Mr PEDERICK (Hammond) (14:42): My question is to the Minister for Trade and Investment. Can the minister please update the house on how the Marshall Liberal government is working with South Australian exporters to grow exports and create jobs? With your leave and that of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

Mr PEDERICK: In my electorate of Hammond, one of the biggest exporters is Thomas Foods International, which was devastated by a fire three years ago and has just recently turned the sod on a new state-of-the-art facility.

The Hon. S.J.R. PATTERSON (Morphett—Member of the Executive Council, Minister for Trade and Investment) (14:42): Thank you, member for Hammond, for your question. Of course, the member for Hammond's electorate is one of the key engine rooms of our regional economy. Certainly, as a government we are really committed to growing the regional economies here in South Australia because we know that will grow the South Australian economy and that of course leads to jobs.

One of those key ways to help grow the economy is trying to help those export exposed industries who can really export their fantastic products throughout the world. One of our key export sectors is meat, valued at about $864 million of exports to the past 12 months. That's about 7½ per cent of our exports overall, so of course the meat industry is very important to the South Australian economy.

It was with great pleasure that I joined the member for Hammond recently at the sod-turning of the Thomas Foods International advanced meat processing facility. It is fantastic news for the local economy there. We were joined also by the Premier; the CEO of Thomas Foods, Darren Thomas; the Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development; the Minister for Infrastructure; and also the local mayor, Mayor Brenton Lewis; as well as representatives from the construction company that will be doing the build, BADGE Constructions.

You can see it was a very important day for Murray Bridge. Since that horrific fire three years ago, the member for Hammond has worked tirelessly to make sure that meat processing facility was able to be stood up in Murray Bridge because he knows the importance of it to the region, as does our government and as does my department. My department has been working strongly here across government and with various departments: with the Minister for Environment and Water to make sure that water utilities are available on the site and with the Minister for Infrastructure to make sure the roads are there to carry those big road trains that are going to be able to transport all that stock into and out of the facility.

It is very pleasing that we have committed $14 million towards that project just off Mannum Road. It is really important for the shoulder sealing and also the slip lanes, because we have to make sure these big trucks can pull over and come to a good stopping distance. That is fantastic work across there and it was very pleasing to see the sod-turning.

In terms of the actual site, it is massive. It has massive opportunity as a greenfield site. We know that, being an advanced manufacturing facility, it is going to bring in a massive number of jobs. It is estimated that 2,000 jobs will be brought in and that it will create over a billion dollars for the economy as well, which is fantastic.

Stage 1 is underway and that will create 500 jobs to start with. It should be emphasised as well that these jobs are not just meat processing jobs—because this will be advanced by robotics, there will be automation jobs, there will be IT jobs and, of course, finance jobs. It is fantastic for the region of Murray Bridge, and it is fantastic that Thomas Foods, as their CEO said, is committed to rebuild and to build better than before, so I commend him for that.

The other interesting things he noted were that Thomas Foods exports to over 85 different countries and just the importance of having market diversification. He made the point that there is always disruption somewhere in the world—tariffs get in the way and markets close—so it is really important to have a wide and diverse exposure in markets. As a government, we are helping all businesses so they can help to expand into other markets. I commend the member for Hammond for his work and commend Thomas Foods for their commitment to Murray Bridge.