Export Initiatives

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI (15:25): My question is to the Minister for Trade and Investment. Can the minister please provide an update to the council about his latest engagements with regional exporters and businesses?

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (Minister for Trade and Investment) (15:25): I thank the honourable—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: I call the Minister for Trade and Investment.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: Thank you, Mr President. I thank the honourable member for her very important question.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: The honourable Leader of the Opposition! Minister, sit down for a second.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: During last sitting week, I brought an update to the council about how I am re-engaging with businesses and exporters around our state as COVID-19 restrictions are eased. South Australia's regions are home to some of our most significant exporters, and as Minister for Trade and Investment I have made it a priority to engage with them regularly.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: Clearly, members opposite are not interested in our exporters in the regions.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Please, I am trying to listen to the answer.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: Last Friday, I was accompanied by the member for Hammond, the hardworking member Adrian Pederick, on a visit to the Murraylands to meet a range of businesses all impacted in different ways. Our first meeting was a very early meeting, at 7.30 in the morning, at Big River Pork. It would be a time of the day when members opposite would probably be still in bed. Big River Pork, as we know, is one of Murray Bridge's, and the region's—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: —most significant employers.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: Members opposite would be best served to listen.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Mr Hunter! The minister will be heard in silence. I want to hear the answer. The Minister for Trade and Investment.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: Thank you for your protection, Mr President. Big River Pork—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order, the Hon. Mr Parnell!

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: —has seen no dip in the demand for their product. Big River Pork, one of the biggest producers of pork meat in South Australia, has seen no dip in the demand due to the effects of COVID-19. In actual fact, they have had a great time. In fact, they have been busier than ever.

Big River Pork, during this time, has been vigilant in its obligations to its employees and its customers and suppliers, adding extra measures to the already vigorous hygiene and work health and safety and environmental standards. It was great to discuss with the company that they are well placed to minimise the exposure and the spread of the virus and to continue to support the Murray Bridge region in a pretty uncertain economic time.

As my commitment was to visit exporters of all sizes, we then went to Brayfield Park Lavender and met with the owner, Rhona Parker-Benton, who grows about 100,000 augustifolia lavender plants on her two-acre property and produces a range of lavender beauty products. Rhona and her partner, Allan, have built Brayfield Park into a thriving business since establishment in the year 2000. In addition to the range of products, Brayfield Park provides an agritourism experience on their property overlooking the River Murray. Big River Pork has some 360 employees and Brayfield Park has only a couple of employees, but—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: —we are demonstrating that exporters, big and small, are important to this government.

Finally, we went to Bowhill Engineering and met with the owners, Jodie and Jeremy Hawkes. Bowhill is a fantastic success story for the region and has worked on projects across a diverse range of industries, such as mining, water, defence and commercial building. The business has worked on some of Australia's most notable and complex projects, such as the Darlington interchange upgrade project, the Southern Expressway and projects for Olympic Dam. Further, Jodie and Jeremy go out of their way to—

The Hon. E.S. Bourke: What happened to GlobeLink? Weren't they going to support that area? Wasn't GlobeLink going out that way?

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Ms Bourke!

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: —support the local community, particularly through training, apprenticeships and employment of local students. As a result, Bowhill has received recognition through many training and business awards, and I commend them for their passion and the pride with which they treat their staff and their business.

Our regions are critical to the importance of our state's economy, and the Marshall Liberal government is committed to unlocking the opportunities and boosting economic growth. That is why we have brought forward the special $15 million round of the Regional Growth Fund to help regional businesses recover from the impact of COVID-19, and we will continue to work to support our hardworking and varied regional businesses and exporters. I look forward to continuing the visits in the coming months and keeping the chamber informed of these visits so that the economy can come back stronger than before.