Australia Japan Business Co-operation Committee

The Hon. T.J. STEPHENS (15:15): My question is to the Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment. Can the minister update the council on his productive meetings in Japan as part of the Australia Japan Business Co-operation Committee in Osaka?

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment) (15:15): I thank the honourable member for his question. As I outlined yesterday, South Australia will be hosting the Australia Japan Business Co-operation Committee for the first time in 30 years next year. I had the privilege of attending this year's conference in Osaka. Across the three days, I carried out an extensive program of meetings with a wide range of stakeholders interested in doing business in South Australia across many sectors.

I had the pleasure of meeting with the Daigas Group, formerly known as Osaka Gas, to discuss the hydrogen industry. They gave me a broad overview of their hydrogen operations, including a visit to one of their hydrogen vehicle refuelling stations. Hydrogen is, of course, a massive opportunity. It came up as a point of discussion in almost every meeting I had over the three days. Japan is incredibly serious about solving its energy issues, and hydrogen is the fuel of choice to power their economy going forward. There are many challenges ahead as the technology still has a way to go before it can be fully commercialised, but the potential is immense.

The Marshall Liberal government has recognised the enormous opportunities in hydrogen, which is why we recently released our Hydrogen Action Plan. I presented almost every person we met with a copy of the action plan. They were very impressed with what our government is doing and are keen to look at a range of opportunities to invest in South Australia. Incidentally, about a month ago, a delegation from Japan came to South Australia. They went to nearly every state in Australia. On further meetings with them, they said that South Australia was the most advanced in the hydrogen sector.

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: Point of order, Mr President: the minister is referring to a press release that he himself put out on 12 October 2019. Most of the information is in the public domain.

The PRESIDENT: I don't have the media release, but the minister is not reading from it; I know that much. I will allow the minister to go on, but be warned.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: Thank you, Mr President, for your advice. This is actually some information—

The PRESIDENT: I wasn't advising you: I was warning you.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: —about what happened at that particular event. Over the course of the three-day program, we met with Sumitomo Electric Industries, Mitsubishi Corporation—which, of course, has decided to keep its headquarters for Mitsubishi Motors in Adelaide—Sojitz, Kawasaki Heavy Industries and Kansai Electric. Our other meetings included the Senior Trade Commissioner, Brett Cooper; ambassador Richard Court; and ambassador Takahashi.

I also participated in a panel discussion on investment opportunities in Australia alongside Austrade chief executive, Ms Stephanie Fahey, and other members of the Australian and Japanese business community. There are some very consistent investment areas that Japan is interested in, and they complement many of our priority sectors. They include hydrogen, renewables more generally, space, defence, health and medical industries, food, wine and agribusiness.

The enthusiasm in the room for working with South Australia was infectious. I look forward to seeing what outcomes come not only from this trip but when the conference comes to Adelaide next year. We are already seeing some of the business opportunities happening, with several companies planning to visit in the months ahead to explore opportunities to collaborate with and invest in South Australia.