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House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2016-11-30 Daily Xml
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Riverland Pest-Free Status

Ms COOK (Fisher) (14:58): My question is for the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries. Could the minister provide the house with an update on recognition of the Riverland's pest-free area status?

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) (14:58): I thank the member for Fisher for the question. There was some good news, indeed, today with the South Australian Riverland receiving a big boost with the Indonesian government's formal recognition of the area's pest-free status. I want to put on the record my thanks to Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce and Senator Anne Ruston, with whom we have worked closely, along with the industry in the Riverland, who have done a terrific job. I would also like to thank the team at Biosecurity South Australia who are up there working very hard with all the growers.

We have terrific conditions up there and we are the only mainland state in Australia that remains fruit fly free, and we work diligently to maintain that status. It is really important for us. The government spends $5 million a year on maintaining that status and promoting the fact that we are fruit fly free. It is not always easy and it takes a long time to convince overseas markets of the status that we have. The benefit is in the reduction in the cost of production. There are all these pre and post-harvest things that you don't have to do once you have been recognised as an area that is pest free. This will be a huge benefit to growers in the area.

Earlier this year, China recognised the Riverland for nectarines as a pest-free area. We are still working with the federal government—and, again, these things take time—to get a wider pest-free area recognition from China. The diplomacy and the talks continue in that area. It is certainly terrific news today that Indonesia has given the South Australian Riverland that recognition, and it follows on from a trial they have been doing.

The Indonesian government was down here earlier this year just making sure that they could verify all the claims that we made. The South Australian exports to Indonesia in terms of citrus are 2,500 tonnes a year, split evenly between oranges and mandarins. Seventy-eight tonnes of Australian stone fruit, such as nectarines, peaches, plums and apricots, are exported to Indonesia, and that market is growing. There is no doubt that this new status and recognition will really help us.

It is also a great example of the collaboration between industry and the state and federal governments, who realise the benefits of pest-free areas. What we need to do now that we have it is to continue those trade missions we have been doing, being led by the Premier and the Minister for Trade, and I led one up to Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand as well. We need to keep going back into those markets because what they know about South Australia is that we do turn up every year into those markets.

No other state or territory is doing it to the extent that we are doing it. We go up there with industry, and that is very important because so many of these markets want to deal face to face with the growers and with the industry, but they like to see that the government is standing side by side, giving their full support and backing to those growers and marketers who are trying to get our wonderful premium food and wine into their markets.

We have a proud tradition in South Australia of producing premium food and wine. It is one that we want to continue doing, and it is one that both sides of government, going back to 1836, have really focused on—the importance of producing the very best food and wine anywhere in this state. As to the Indonesian recognition, I would like to thank the Indonesian government for their support. We look forward to doing more deals with your government and your markets to get more South Australian produce into Indonesia.

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