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House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2016-09-28 Daily Xml
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International Students

Mr ODENWALDER (Little Para) (14:28): My question is to the Minister for Investment and Trade. Minister, how has the government been promoting Adelaide as a study destination to Chinese education agents?

The Hon. M.L.J. HAMILTON-SMITH (Waite—Minister for Investment and Trade, Minister for Small Business, Minister for Defence Industries, Minister for Veterans' Affairs) (14:28): I thank the member for his question because international students are an important part of the state economy. They are over $1 billion of revenues, employing thousands and thousands of South Australians in small businesses all across the state, because the government is the champion of small business and international students are going into the cafes and going into the restaurants. That's why we hosted a Shandong inbound business mission earlier this month and we organised a China agent familiarisation visit. Education agents—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. M.L.J. HAMILTON-SMITH: Listen to them, Mr Speaker. They can't help themselves—rushing off to Woolies, rushing off to Coles. Education agents play a very important role in international student recruitment activity. This generally includes identifying prospective students considering studying in Adelaide. Perhaps we should invite some members opposite to do some study; maybe they would research things better.

It was drawn to my attention that there was an interjection yesterday from the member for Heysen about the need to do more research. I was remembering the amount of research she did while she was milking a cow at the Show before she came out and announced there would be 25,000 public servants losing their jobs, a quarter of the state's workforce. A lot of research there—one on every nipple, 5,000 jobs, 10,000 jobs—

The SPEAKER: Point of order, member for Morialta.

The Hon. M.L.J. HAMILTON-SMITH: —15,000 jobs.

Mr GARDNER: I am struggling to see how the minister is complying with standing order 98.

The Hon. M.L.J. HAMILTON-SMITH: Sorry, Mr Speaker, I got carried away.

The SPEAKER: Yes, I uphold the point of order.

Mr Whetstone: Doing any research on dodgy documents?

The Hon. M.L.J. HAMILTON-SMITH: Ask the member for Unley—he knows all about it, if only he would reveal. I got carried away, Mr Speaker.

Mr Pisoni interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Unley is warned.

The Hon. M.L.J. HAMILTON-SMITH: The attendees of this familiarisation visit were some of the key agents recruiting students to study in Australia.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The minister appears to be returning to supplying the house with information, so all interjections from this point will be out of order.

The Hon. M.L.J. HAMILTON-SMITH: I am really enjoying it, too, Mr Speaker, and thank you for your protection. The attendees of the familiarisation visit were some of the key agents who recruit students to Australia, counsellors from agencies all over China. and I will list a few: EduGlobal and the companies XDF, IDP, IAE, Shinyway, AOJI, A&A, EIC and JJL. These are all important student agent companies based in Jinan, in Qingdao, in Beijing and in Shanghai.

The agents toured our universities and TAFEs, as well as visiting public and private schools and other training providers. I understand they also attended the SA 36ers and Shandong Hi-Speed basketball match and the SA business dinner celebrating the 30th anniversary of the relationship between Shandong sister province and South Australia. I know they don't like the China story. They don't like the fact that we are trading with China. They don't seem to support trade and engagement—

Mr GARDNER: Point of order.

The Hon. M.L.J. HAMILTON-SMITH: —but this is a very important part—

The SPEAKER: Point of order by the member for Morialta. The minister will be seated.

Mr GARDNER: The opposition has complied by and large with your instruction, but the minister is returning to debate and therefore obstructing the house.

The SPEAKER: I uphold the point of order.

The Hon. M.L.J. HAMILTON-SMITH: Thank you for your discipline, sir. I will behave myself. In 2015, China was South Australia's largest source of international students, making up 12,711 enrolments, or 40 per cent of our total number of international students, and it is therefore very, very important—

Mr Knoll interjecting:

The Hon. M.L.J. HAMILTON-SMITH: The member for the Barossa Valley is off. What website are you on at the moment, member for Schubert? We currently have 30,528 students, up 9.1 per cent from the previous year, with a goal to reach 35,500 students by the end of 2017. These are figures, and I know the opposition don't do any research or statistics.

I don't want to bamboozle them—these are figures—but these Chinese students will be a very important part of our economic story. Who will be the major beneficiaries? Small business, that little restaurant, that little cafe. Of course, they are all open on Sunday in the City of Adelaide, where most of the students are, but of course that will all be swept away if deregulation of shopping hours occurs. Everyone benefits from international students and we are on a roll.

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