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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2010-11-10 Daily Xml
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ITALY, AGREEMENTS

Mrs VLAHOS (Taylor) (14:12): Can the Minister for Multicultural Affairs inform the house of the outcomes that are being achieved through South Australia's agreements with Italian regions?

The Hon. G. PORTOLESI (Hartley—Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation, Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Minister for Youth, Minister for Volunteers) (14:12): I would like to acknowledge the member for Taylor and the Italian community within her electorate with whom I have had the pleasure of meeting. I am very pleased to report on a number of initiatives that are benefiting our state, in particular our higher education and research sector, as a result of our engagement with Italy.

The first point I would like to make is, of course, in relation to our agreement with Puglia. I would like to emphasise, however, that the dollars our state contributes to this aspect of the agreement—the $1.2 million—is money invested here in South Australia. It is not sent to Puglia or anywhere else in Italy; it is South Australian money invested in South Australian research and centres of excellence like the Australian—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. G. PORTOLESI: —Centre for Plant Functional Genomics—and I will get back to that in a second. In fact, I am also advised that the money that Puglia contributes to the agreement is also spent in South Australia. In fact, they send their researchers and their money to South Australia, which means that South Australians—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. G. PORTOLESI: —our researchers, our institutions—not only get an investment from South Australia but also an investment from Puglia. So, back to the centre.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P.F. Conlon: Pull your head in!

The SPEAKER: Minister for Transport, order!

The Hon. G. PORTOLESI: The Australian Centre for Plant Functional Genomics reports that its current collaboration with the Italian regions of Puglia and Regione Emilia Romagna has resulted in a boon for wheat breeding research, a particularly important issue for South Australia. They have said:

Whilst we cannot speak for other projects funded under the state government initiatives, we have had a very positive experience.

The centre received a small amount of funding—$60,000—to develop a relationship with groups in the Puglia region. The collaboration has been further expanded and is now part of a large European Union framework program—the DROPS program—with funding of over €5 million. So, for an initial $60,000 investment, we have leveraged—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! I warn the member for Hammond.

The Hon. G. PORTOLESI: I am certain the house is interested. This is a remarkable achievement from a modest but targeted commitment from this government, the results of which will, no doubt, have benefits for our wheat industry. The University of South Australia, through Dr Rocco Zito, reports that his work with the Research Council in Bari on the research theme—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. G. PORTOLESI: I am very happy to talk about the consul later—of future urban transport service means that, and I quote:

The collaboration with Bari has resulted in a number of enhanced research opportunities that would not have been possible otherwise. The opportunity to give up-and-coming researchers exposure to transport systems research and the likely funding opportunities that will flow from this research are an exciting prospect.

However, the key point about this initiative is that it has resulted in a tangible spin-off through the Polytechnic of Bari, the same institute that is quoted on the front page of The Advertiser on a gas pipeline inspection project with the team from Puglia intending to travel to South Australia in the new year to meet with contacts and to prepare future funding submissions for this work. This is a tangible joint venture proposal that will have enormous potential for companies like Santos.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. G. PORTOLESI: Whilst we are on the subject of the Polytechnic of Bari—the same institute that was quoted on the front page of The Advertiser—I would like to welcome to South Australia—

The SPEAKER: Order! Member for Kavel, I warn you.

The Hon. G. PORTOLESI: —for a second time a leading researcher from that institution, Dr Tommaso Palmisano, who is here collaborating at the University of Adelaide's photonics lab, which is the best lab in Australia, with well-known professor, Tanya Monro. He also spent four months here last year working with Professor Monro in this outstanding lab. That is a gentleman who is from the same institution that was quoted on the front page of The Advertiser. In closing—

Mr Goldsworthy interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Member for Kavel, you are on your second warning.

The Hon. G. PORTOLESI: In closing, Madam Speaker—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. G. PORTOLESI: In closing, what I have done today is to highlight just one of the aspects of our collaboration with Italy which, of course, includes the fiera. I am very confident that we are on the right track. How do I know that?

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Member for Unley, you are on a warning.

The Hon. G. PORTOLESI: I am confident that we are on the right track. How? Because when I came back from the fiera—and, of course, my participation at the fiera (and I am very happy to talk about it) was at the end of a broader mission to Italy—I was approached by the member for Norwood who said to me that he thought it was a good idea that South Australia was participating at the fiera, and he would like to come with me. He would like to come with me! So, Stephen, I would now like to extend to you formally the invitation, but I suggest that you tell the member for Waite—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, the Treasurer!

The Hon. G. PORTOLESI: —that is why Greg Kelton says that you are the future of the Liberal Party and not the member for Waite.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, Treasurer! Member for Norwood, you are on a warning also.

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