South-East Businesses

The Hon. D.G.E. HOOD (14:52): My question is to the Minister for Trade and Investment. Can the minister please update the council on how the government is working with industries in the South-East, including those impacted by the coronavirus?

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (Minister for Trade and Investment) (14:52): I thank the member for his ongoing interest in businesses, especially in the South-East. Last Tuesday—Monday night and Tuesday—I had the pleasure to spend some time with Nick McBride (member for MacKillop) and also Troy Bell (member for Mount Gambier). We looked at several important industries, such as the rock lobster industry, the timber industry, fresh produce (as in onions) and grain (mostly oats) at Blue Lake in Bordertown.

The reason I was particularly keen to get to the meeting that was organised by Nick McBride (member for MacKillop)—it was a new initiative where he had brought what we call the processors, the people who buy lobster on the beach from the fishermen, and the fishers all together in a meeting in Mount Gambier. I think it was a very good initiative.

Obviously, people and businesses in the supply chain don't talk to each other all that often, and so it was a chance to actually get those stakeholders in the room to have a decent discussion about the issues the coronavirus has created and the issues that have confronted the rock lobster industry.

Members opposite and other members in this chamber would know that in the rock lobster industry the southern zone and northern zone focus on the very lucrative Chinese New Year market in China. Of course, the coronavirus could not have happened at a worse time for them. A number of the processors had bought fish that were in storage and waiting to ship, so it has confronted them with a range of issues.

I think, as I have often heard the Premier say, never waste a good crisis. It was an opportunity to get all of these people together and have a look at the opportunities that exist when you have some problems, and so we discussed a whole range of issues.

Unfortunately, the minister for fisheries and primary industries had a prior engagement, so he couldn't be there, but I know that he is considering some changes to the management plan. The fisheries management advisory council representatives were at the meeting. I suspect some of the things that were canvassed included carrying over a quota to the next season, potentially extending the season.

One of the options is for the rock lobster sector to look at mitigating against the chances of problems occurring again. I think we all realise that coronavirus has presented a problem. You can't turn the clock back. The problem is real. But maybe we could extend the season by a couple of weeks. We have the Moon Lantern Festival here at the time that there is another festival in China. There might be an opportunity to be fishing in September to supply that market to spread the risk a little. So I want to commend the member for MacKillop for bringing all the stakeholders together. I think it was an important initiative.

I also had a quick opportunity to go to Timberlink to look at the expansion of the second sawmill they are putting into that facility. It's great to see investment in the timber industry in the South-East, an increase in jobs and exports for that particular sector. I then had the opportunity to go to Dolling Produce at Padthaway, which I have a recollection of. As members know, I am actually from that part of the world.

I remember in the late seventies, early eighties that Dolling was starting to grow onions as a small crop alongside their potatoes. They now produce some 12,000 tonnes of potatoes. They have a large number of employees, permanent employees. I think it's a real tribute to a family that has worked hard to develop markets and are at the leading edge of technology, now producing some of the finest horticultural produce, some of which is exported. A lot of it's used for domestic consumption but some of it is being exported.

Finally, I went to the Blue Lake oat milling company in Bordertown. As members know, it's my old home town. I think I was 19 when I delivered my first load of oats there, so some 40 years later the company is going from strength to strength and diversifying into products such as other value-added products that continue to grow our economy.