World Expo 2025 Osaka

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL (Mawson) (14:55): My question is to the Minister for Trade and Investment. How will World Expo 2025 Osaka provide a platform for South Australia to showcase itself to the world?

The Hon. N.D. CHAMPION (Taylor—Minister for Trade and Investment, Minister for Housing and Urban Development, Minister for Planning) (14:55): I thank the member for Mawson for his question and his interest in this area. World Expo is the oldest and largest international event, held every five years since 1851, a global platform for achievement, innovation, collaboration and cooperation.

On 13 April 2025, World Expo will be in Osaka, Japan's second largest city and the third time in that city for World Expo, having previously been held in 1970 and 1990. I am pleased to announce that South Australia will have a permanent presence at World Expo 2025 Osaka as part of the Australian pavilion. Our place in the pavilion provides the state with an opportunity to showcase our produce, tourism, agricultural space, innovation, renewable energy, and, of course, our emerging hydrogen industry.

Of course, we are relying on Team Australia to host business delegations, generate new networks amongst governments, global business, investors and industry leaders. The theme of the Australian pavilion is Chasing the Sun, designed to showcase Australia's clean energy and low-emissions technologies while strengthening our position as a preferred partner on energy security, a platform that, as a global leader, South Australia is primed to benefit from.

The Australian pavilion will be among 150 other countries participating in World Expo 2025. It's expected to see 28 million visitors attend the Expo, running from 13 April 2025 to 25 October of that year. The World Expo is a unique opportunity to promote the best of our state and Australia to a global audience in one of Asia's most influential business hubs.

I would certainly like to thank the federal Minister for Trade and Tourism, Senator the Hon. Don Farrell, for his tireless efforts in ensuring that Australia really does seize this opportunity. I would also like to thank our trade commissioner, Ms Sally Townsend, our very hardworking trade commissioner in Japan and for South Korea as well, for her hard work. I am sure she will be able to use the opportunity of World Expo 2025 so that we get great benefit out of it.

The pavilion at the World Expo will recognise the state's contribution and participation to our very important and strategic relationship that Australia has with Japan and the importance of the deep and longstanding nature of that relationship. Japan was the first destination for the Premier's overseas mission in 2022 when we travelled, along with the Minister for Transport and I, to the 59^th annual Japan Australia Business Co-operation Committee.

I also attended the hydrogen fuel cell expo in 2023 to continue to foster and develop that relationship with our eighth largest export market. Throughout these missions, it has been clear that there is a remarkable interest in our renewable energy capability and that there is a very real opportunity to grow our exports from our current levels of $634 million last year, which currently consists of canola, tuna, protein and barley exports.

World Expo 2025 provides really the perfect opportunity to increase our exposure, to build on our already strong links that have been going on from governments, Labor and Liberal, over the last 20 years. We want to see, at this World Expo, South Australia collaborate with Japan on shared regional objectives, maximising the trade and investment opportunities, and making sure that this is a successful expo, not just for Australia but for our state as well.