Ministerial Travel

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (14:21): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking a question of the Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment regarding international travel.

Leave granted.

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN: On 18 October 2018, the minister was asked why SATC closed its Indian operations and the minister gave a glib response about Indian weddings. On 2 May 2019, when the minister was asked about trade with China, he accused the Mayor of Shandong of being 'in the habit of throwing out the cards from Australian businesses'. On 1 May 2019, the minister was asked about attracting European space companies, and the minister claimed that he sent single-syllable emails to important international contacts. So, apart from his diplomatic gaffs, when will the minister provide tangible outcomes from his trade missions and, in particular, when will the minister release a public 12-month forward calendar of trade missions, as per the Joyce review?

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment) (14:22): I thank the honourable member for her ongoing interest in international travel. She is obviously wanting me to take her on a business mission.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: If they want to listen I am happy to speak, but if they want to talk over me I will just sit down.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! Let the minister speak.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: Since our election in March 2018, the Marshall Liberal government has sought to create an environment for businesses to thrive, that builds our economy and creates jobs for South Australians. The Joyce review, released in March 2019, was commissioned to assist with these key aims, and one of the key recommendations of this review was to realign our international and interstate engagement and connect South Australian businesses to sectors in the international community.

The Hon. R.P. Wortley interjecting:

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: Would you like to listen, Russell? Just listen, please. Several of the responsibilities of these recommendations fall within my purview as Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment and I am looking forward to guiding the government as we seek a new approach to external engagement. One of my responsibilities is the coordination of all outbound and inbound missions and I am delighted today to announce the release of the 2019 business missions calendar. This calendar—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Go on, minister.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: They don't like good news, Mr President, that is their trouble. They don't like it, they just don't like it.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! Let the minister finish.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: I have a lot of good news, Mr President.

The PRESIDENT: Do you wish to continue to deliver it?

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: I would like to continue.

The PRESIDENT: I am interested in your good news.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: This calendar has been developed in consultation with multiple industries, and I couldn't be happier to discuss it here today. The business missions are organised according to the key sectors that the Joyce review identified for growth: defence and space, energy and minerals, tourism, international education, food and agribusiness, creative industries, health and medical industries and the high-tech industries. The calendar offers a range of missions for businesses to nominate to be part of, incorporating a tailored program of events designed to provide opportunities for businesses to build and grow.

This is the first of what will be an annual business missions calendar, with the 2020 calendar already in development. There are already 27 business missions on the calendar this year, both inbound and outbound, which cover a wide range of sectors and events. Some involve site visits, some involve networking and business matching, and some involve exhibitions and trade shows. It is important that we are focused in our approach and that we are targeting companies from the key sectors and activities that will add economic value to our state.

For example, the Department for Trade, Tourism and Investment will lead a delegation to Melbourne in October to attend the Australian Cyber Conference. This will offer South Australian companies an opportunity to showcase their brands and capabilities and encourage further investment interstate. Additionally, South Australian will host the World Routes aviation conference in September this year, which brings experts in aviation and route development together from around the world to plan and strategise right here in Adelaide.

In November there is particular focus on China, and there are opportunities for businesses from a diverse range of sectors to get involved. StudyAdelaide will lead a group of education workshops and direct one-on-one meetings with local education representatives with the China-South Australia Education Roadshow. Austrade and the Department for Trade, Tourism and Investment will lead a delegation to China for the China International Import Expo, which again will be a huge opportunity for local businesses to forge connections and introduce their products to international markets.

Tourism Australia and the South Australian Tourism Commission will head along to the Australian Marketplace China event and establish business connections with travel agencies and tour operators from the region. Finally—and I know honourable members are excited about this one—Australia and the Department for Trade, Tourism and Investment will take a group to ProWine in China.

These activities are critical to providing a chance to welcome potential investors, businesses and business partners from around the world to South Australia, and we want to let the world know that South Australia is open for business and that businesses are world-class. I encourage everyone who may be interested in getting involved to visit the Department for Trade, Tourism and Investment's website, where they can express an interest.

I am pleased to announce the release of the calendar today, and I hope you will all get a chance to explore it and the comprehensive program we have planned to continue building our economy. The quick facts are—before the members opposite say, 'We can't find it on the website'—it is about 33 minutes before it goes live at 3 o'clock, and the website is: http://dtti.sa.gov.au/trade/businessmissions.

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: A point of order: as the minister was quoting directly from the document, I seek that he table that document so we can all see it.

The PRESIDENT: They are actually his notes, so I am not going to uphold that. It wasn't a document which he said he was reading from, Leader of the Opposition. Be very careful to ask for that sort of stuff; otherwise, you could be called for your own notes. The Hon. Ms Scriven.