Emerging Technologies

The Hon. D.G.E. HOOD (14:40): My question is to the Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment. Can the minister inform the council how the South Australian government is providing a platform for industries to build closer connections to assist in accelerating the uptake of new technologies?

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment) (14:40): I thank the honourable member for his ongoing interest in new technologies. A fortnight ago, I had the pleasure of speaking at the Disruptive Technologies in Manufacturing event, where over 200 members from the business and academic communities gathered to hear experts in emerging technologies under the new initiative set up by the Marshall Liberal government. In fact, the organiser said that under the former government they would only get a handful of people there; we had 200 people there.

My department, the Department for Trade, Tourism and Investment, has established emerging technology interest groups to build closer connections between advanced manufacturers and to provide a platform for companies to share their experiences and to help accelerate the uptake of new technologies. The emerging technology interest groups will be established around virtual reality, machine learning, additive manufacture and data-driven decision-making and will leverage the expertise of South Australian universities and lead researchers.

These cross-industry business groups will meet on a regular basis to discuss technology use within the industry, share experiences and collaborate on potential projects. They will also participate in events such as presentations, tours and workshops on the topic. It was at Adelaide Oval, and the room was absolutely bursting with the number of people and also bursting with excitement for this particular initiative of the new Marshall Liberal government.

The initiative is the next phase of a pilot project the government ran at Flinders University in setting up a robotics and automation interest group. The feedback from participants in this group has been overwhelmingly supportive, which has encouraged us to expand into more subsectors. The evolution of industry towards Industry 4.0 represents several unique challenges for South Australian businesses, including access to knowledge and independent advice, strategic view of technology, digital maturity and access to the necessary skills.

A higher uptake of these emerging technologies will enable businesses to become more competitive and leverage technology to enter new global markets. As new technologies reach industrial maturity, the interest group model can be expanded to include new emerging sectors, such as block chain or other technologies that have the potential to improve industry productivity and global competitiveness.

This work aligns with our goal to grow South Australia's economy by driving exports and encouraging investment to meet our growth agenda ambitions of 3 per cent annual growth. Membership of these interest groups for South Australian companies and researchers is free, and I encourage anyone with an interest in these emerging sectors to get involved. They can register their interest by participating in the great initiative on the Department for Trade, Tourism and Investment's website.