Australia-United States Trade

Ms HOOD (Adelaide) (14:19): My question is to the Premier. Can the Premier advise the house on the importance of the Australian-US trade relationship for South Australia?

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS (Croydon—Premier) (14:20): I thank the member for Adelaide for her question because no doubt there would be a significant number of her constituents who would have a great interest in the strength of the South Australian-United States relationship when it comes to trade.

Over the last 12 months I have been advised by the Minister for Trade and Investment that trade with the US is up by 34.1 per cent, and that is an extraordinary amount of growth that we have seen with this particular relationship and that is because this government has a strong economic agenda that is delivering and yielding results for the people of our state.

This evening a significant event in Sydney is being held with Amgen. They are hosting a conference that I have been invited to attend and I am taking the opportunity to do that to make sure that growth trajectory is a strong one. I am looking forward to attending that event and playing a small speaking role. That was an event that I was invited to and I wanted to grab the opportunity, and for that in some respects I apologise by virtue of the fact I will not be at the conclusion of question time. But this is an important exercise, particularly given the growth trajectory that we have been on that we have every chance to be able to sustain.

One of the principal reasons why we will be able to sustain that is because of the increasing degree of collaboration that we are seeing in the defence and space industries in particular between our state and the United States.

Earlier this year I had the chance to be in the US, on the East Coast in particular, being able to visit sites at Newport News with Huntington Ingalls, but also further north in Maryland and Connecticut talking about how the South Australian defence sector would like to be able to get access to the supply chain, particularly in regard to the Virginia class submarines. That work is now very much in train. We have signed agreements with Huntington Ingalls who, of course, are the builder of the Virginia class submarines at Newport News in Virginia and we are starting to see evidence that South Australian businesses are able to get access to that supply chain.

Now think about the size of the opportunity. South Australian businesses participating in the supply chain of US nuclear submarines, which of course is critical as we seek to build up the industrial capacity in our own state to be able to supply the SSN-AUKUS program. Only yesterday I had again the opportunity to meet with Vice Admiral Mead—earlier in the day the Minister for Defence and Space Industries was with the Australian defence minister—as we see the mobilisation agreement signed associating between ASC and BAE. So, increasingly we are starting to see critical milestones being reached for the advancement of the AUKUS program.

But the reason why this state government is so keen on the AUKUS program is not just the fact it means more work, it is the opportunity to be able to increase the economic complexity, which is something I know the Deputy Premier is also doing a lot of work on in her industry portfolio. This is a significant enterprise, it has got to be an all-of-government effort, but that US trade relationship is going to be particularly important.

We know that the US is home to so many of the defence businesses that have already seen great advancement on the back of their nuclear navy program. We want access to that same opportunity. That is only going to be done through collaboration between the private sector here and in the US but also government-to-government relationships and government with industry, and that is what we are committed to doing and I am looking forward to an opportunity to be able to engage in that respect tonight.

This is an arrangement that I know enjoys bipartisan support with those opposite, and at a federal level, which we commend and welcome, because these are the relationships that will sustain governments over many generations to come.