Matters of Interest

Entrepreneurs Week

The Hon. J.E. HANSON (15:20): This week is Entrepreneurs Week in Adelaide. Entrepreneurs Week is a collaboration between the Adelaide Entrepreneurship Forum, Brand South Australia, the Adelaide city council, the state government and a broad range of stakeholders who are interested in hosting events with an entrepreneurial focus. The aim is to position South Australia as the destination of choice for creativity, innovation and enterprise, a place, of course, where entrepreneurs can thrive.

The 2017 program includes events that explore immersive technologies and workspaces, ecosystem leadership, intrapreneurship, social entrepreneurship and how South Australia will continue to support entrepreneurs. As a member of the millennial generation, albeit only just, I often take umbrage at articles, such as some you might find in today's local paper for Adelaide, which decry my age cohort as lacking the skills they need for the workplace. These are the same workplaces, mind you, that thrive, and indeed rely, on the entrepreneurial and innovative capability of—you guessed it—millennials. I was particularly disappointed to read an article in the local Adelaide paper, printed during this year's Entrepreneurs Week, which decried millennials as 'scared of conversation, cooking and eye contact'.

The ACTING PRESIDENT (Hon. J.S.L. Dawkins): Order! There are too many conversations in the chamber. The Hon. Mr Hanson has the call.

The Hon. J.E. HANSON: Thank you, Mr Acting President. The article placed millennials as 'unable to order a pizza, take part in a university class or even plan a holiday in person, because they usually do so via apps on their phone'. I find such commentary, which is frustratingly prevalent, even in this chamber, not only unhelpful to facilitating the creation of an innovative and creative city and state, but also inaccurate in my experience of young people in this state. To quote one millennial to whom I spoke about the article, 'I just don't have time to read that rubbish.'

I am encouraged to see commentary from others in the world who view millennials as key players in the coming wave of social entrepreneurship, as professionals and innovators who will place great value on improving society rather than emphasising profit as a core function of any business. I note in particular the comments of the Don Dunstan Foundation's current Thinker in Residence, Suzi Sosa, who recently spoke to open Entrepreneurs Week in Adelaide. She stated:

We see this generation putting pressure on not just creating social enterprises…but putting a lot of pressure on big corporations, like Dell, like MetLife, like Nike, like IBM.

Millennials are saying we will not shop from you, we will not work for you, unless we believe your commitment is to improving society as well.

As a long-time believer in the capacity of young people to make a difference, and a more than casual observer of the catastrophic events of the global financial crisis and the subsequent austerity measures imposed on many who must now commence their working lives with previously unimaginable burdens, I admire those in our younger generations who are displaying wisdom beyond their years in benefiting the many before the few.

Entrepreneurs Week this year will also feature the popular SouthStart conference, where hundreds of local and national entrepreneurs, investors, experts and students will once again gather at the Adelaide Convention Centre for a conference aimed at inspiring the next generation of entrepreneurs and business owners. Established in 2013, the SouthStart conference is the largest event of its kind in South Australia and one of the largest in the country. The conference highlights emerging entrepreneurial themes, such as start-up investment, commercialisation, disruptive banking and the myths of innovation. I am encouraged by the comments of the SouthStart managing director, who said of last year's event:

The SouthStart Conference has put Adelaide on the map as one of Australia's leading cities for entrepreneurial thinking. During the past three years, we have showcased some incredibly diverse, innovative, and exciting start-ups.

We're hoping the ideas and the technical knowledge shared at SouthStart will inspire the next generation of start-ups, and also help established businesses to stay motivated and well connected with peers, investors, and mentors to help them succeed.

I look forward to attending this year's event with much anticipation. Indeed last year's event was such a great success, with TCPinpoint and EcoJet Engineering both being awarded $50,000 dollars in funding through the Venture Catalyst program, a joint initiative of the state government and the University of South Australia. Both of those companies are a great example of the kind of innovation we want to encourage and the kind of innovation that can find an ideal base of operations right here in Adelaide.

This is the kind of innovation that needs to be nurtured and encouraged, not talked down by those who do not understand new enterprise or those who do not share the same optimism about our younger generations and their ideas or their capabilities. Those people will ultimately be left behind by history. They could instead make the conscious choice to play a part in creating a better future for our whole community. I suggest they could start by heeding the example of the millennials, who are doing just that by benefiting the many before the few.