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House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2015-05-12 Daily Xml
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China Trade

Mr PICTON (Kaurna) (14:51): My question is to the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries. Can the minister inform the house about South Australia's recent participation in the 2015 SIAL event in China, as well as the upcoming delegation to China led by the Premier?

Mr Whetstone interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Chaffey is warned.

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL (Mawson—Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Minister for Forests, Minister for Tourism, Minister for Recreation and Sport, Minister for Racing) (14:51): I thank the member for Kaurna for his question. SIAL is a huge food exposition that's held in Shanghai each year. Last year, I was up there and we had seven South Australian producers. This year, I am pleased to report that 13 producers went up from South Australia, including Bickford's, Tony's Tuna, Kinkawooka Mussels, Laucke Flour Mills, Mori Seafood and Vok Beverages.

I know the opposition spokesperson for agriculture, David Ridgway, was up there flying the flag for South Australia, and I think it is really important that all members of this house and the other house, no matter what our political allegiances are, get in and help our local areas to sell our premium food and wine to the world. I congratulate Mr Ridgway for his work up there, and I know that there are plenty of other people who want to get out there and help their regions. We are only too happy to give you any stats or any advice.

When we go up to China, and we will be up there with the Premier and the Minister for Trade on the biggest ever delegation to Shandong in a couple of weeks' time, it is really important that we have a narrative that fits in with what the national narrative is around the free trade agreement. Then we have to all fall into line with what the state narrative is and then your own regional narrative as well. It is very important that, when we engage with the Chinese in these discussions, we all stick to the same script.

We have done the research. We know what it is that the market is after. So, if anyone has any intention of doing travel to China or any other part of the world, please let us know if we can be of any assistance at all. There were around 2,734 exhibitors, with more than 55,000 professional visitors coming through.

Mr Knoll: Come on, this is just from the website.

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL: This is a huge industry, and someone whose family is actually involved in the food industry I would have thought might have sat here and actually played a bipartisan role—

Ms REDMOND: Point of order, Mr Speaker. Surely that last comment is debate on the part of the minister.

The SPEAKER: Is debate? It's responding to interjections, which is deplorable but it does happen.

Mr Knoll interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Schubert is on two warnings, and he hasn't sent me an email establishing his contention that this is from—

Mr Knoll interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The minister.

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL: Thank you, Mr Speaker. The government provided about $35,000 to support the visit to SIAL through Food SA and I want to congratulate Catherine Barnett and the Food SA team who do a tremendous job on behalf of government and industry in bringing our two bodies together for the common good.

The agribusiness sector is worth over $17 billion a year to the South Australian economy, and I know that so many of us are fortunate to have great food and wine producers in our local areas. So, if any of them are keen to get on board for SIAL next year, or for any of the missions that we are undertaking—of course we are up to Shandong in a couple of weeks and then in September we will be bringing a high-level delegation and hosting them here during Adelaide show week to show them again some of the great agricultural produce that we have here.

The Premier obviously has this as one of our key priorities. He has said in the past that, while we can't be Asia's food bowl, we can be the gourmet delicatessen. I want to congratulate all of those great food and wine companies around the state who are doing a tremendous job in not only coming up with great produce but value-adding to that produce, finding out what it is that the market wants at the other end of the process, so that we are not turning up trying to sell something they don't want. We are fitting in perfectly with what the market—whether that is in Shandong, the US or Europe—really wants. I congratulate all of those in the industry and those people in government who do such a good job in working with the industry.

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