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Legislative Council - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2013-09-24 Daily Xml
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Question Time

CHINA DELEGATION

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (Leader of the Opposition) (14:57): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries questions regarding $2.5 million, a storm in a teacup and Fujian Province.

Leave granted.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: In September last year South Australia signed a memorandum of understanding with Fujian Provincial Government in China to open trade links for South Australian premium food and wine. The minister called it a big win for South Australia. She bragged it would improve the awareness of South Australia's premium food and wine in China. Very recently, almost a year to the day since the MOU, the government organised a big South Australian delegation to visit Fujian to make it happen. I am told there were three days of official appointments. The Chinese hosts had organised a series of official functions with the minister as the guest of honour. I am told they even had a banner made welcoming her by name. However, the minister—

The Hon. R.L. Brokenshire: That's twice.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: The Hon. Mr Brokenshire interjects that twice they have done that. However, the minister didn't hang around to go to these appointments. Instead, using the excuse that a typhoon was coming and a storm had been predicted, she hightailed it to Hong Kong leaving the South Australian delegation behind red faced and, importantly, the Chinese hosts losing face. My questions to the minister are:

1. Did the typhoon merely turn out to be a storm in a teacup, with the rest of the South Australian delegation continuing the program despite the minister fleeing early?

2. What is the lasting impression this has given the Chinese?

3. Have South Australian taxpayers already committed $2.5 million to a project the minister seems in a hurry to abandon?

4. Did the minister spend two days in Hong Kong without official appointments while the rest of the delegation stayed in Fujian to finish the job the minister wouldn't?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Minister for Forests, Minister for Regional Development, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for State/Local Government Relations) (14:59): That is a disgraceful question I have to say. It is a disgraceful question because I know that the honourable member has received a detailed response about all of these matters whilst he asked questions of my officers during a finance committee meeting. I know that the honourable member is well aware and—through information that was given by my chief executive and other senior officers during the committee meeting—has been fully informed of all of the accurate information around this event. So it is an absolute disgrace that he comes into this place and suggests that anything improper or untoward has occurred. A typhoon happened. I know I am a very gifted woman, but I cannot stop typhoons. I know I am good, but I am just not that good.

The Hon. D.W. Ridgway interjecting:

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: Because the rest of the delegation went earlier on. The rest of the delegation left by bus earlier on. My meetings meant that I was in Fujian until later, requiring me to catch a train. The train tracks were destroyed by the typhoon. That is what a storm in a teacup it was. The whole train line, a major train line right throughout China, was stopped—no trains. That is why I was not able to get there. The rest of the delegation left before me. I had appointments to continue with. I was leaving later, requiring me to catch a train, and I was unable to catch the train because it was not operating. It was not operating because a typhoon destroyed part of the tracks. I know that the honourable member knows this.

I had back-to-back appointments right throughout China, Hong Kong and Japan. So what I did was move on to my next set of appointments. It gave me, in total, an additional half a day in Hong Kong. I undertook a series of alternate appointments. I met with the Consul-General, I met with Austrade and I went to the opening of a supermarket that purchases products from South Australia. I went along to that opening. I never waste a minute of any day and I am always there, pushing and trying to develop further markets, particularly for our primary producers here in South Australia. That is how I spend my time.

I know that the honourable member has been briefed. I know he knows this. I know he knows that the train was taken offline because of the typhoon. I know he was given all that information, but he is more than happy to misrepresent, to come into this place with his snide innuendo, suggesting that something untoward has happened. It is quite a dishonest thing to do, and I would expect more of the Leader of the Opposition. I expect far more. It was extremely disappointing that a typhoon interrupted the half-day visit to that part of China. I was disappointed and so were the Chinese delegates.

The Hon. D.W. Ridgway interjecting:

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: It affected half a day, Mr President. I did not leave two days early. The honourable member again is misleading this place. He is being dishonest and he is misleading this place and it is an absolute disgrace!

The Hon. R.L. Brokenshire: Churlish.

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: It is. It is dishonest. It is completely dishonest. It is disappointing. I am so outraged. These primary producers came back with signed contracts for $4.6 million. That is how upset they were. Four winemakers that were in my delegation signed contracts as well; another two in Hong Kong. That is how outraged they were. They came back with a signed contract—a rare thing: that delegates, particularly primary producers on an international delegation such as this one, would actually sign contracts there and then during a delegation.

Because of the relationships that I have been able to form both in China and Hong Kong during the three trips in just over a year, going back time and time again to build on those relationships, build on the trust, promote what we are doing, taking our primary producers there so they can showcase their wares, introducing them to the right business and industry people—that is how successful this delegation was. They were signing contracts there and then during that trip, not waiting until they came home. I am sure that there will be lots of flow-on effects as well. I can tell you, Mr President, that all that delegation were extremely pleased with the overall outcomes of that trip.

Red Lion, South Australia's export company of premium seafood, honey, olive oil, dairy products, meat, health products and fine wines, signed a contract for $4.6 million and, as I said, there will be flow-on effects as well. Woodstock Wine, Brothers in Arms, Wines by Geoff Hardy and Nardone Baker Wines signed a memorandum of understanding for future trade opportunities, and I think that was for a container worth about half a million dollars.

In Hong Kong, a major coup was achieved for our wine and food producers. From next year, South Australian premium food and wine is set to be on the menu of Hong Kong's premier tourist attraction, Ocean Park. Since opening more than 30 years ago, over 100 million guests have visited these facilities. I also appointed South Australia's first internationally-based food and wine ambassador, high profile Hong Kong master chef Wong Wing Chee, and promoted South Australia's premium wines at a showcase dinner for Crown Wine Cellars, one of the world's finest wine cellar facilities.

In Japan, I took part in an investment seminar attended by 50 high profile investors and trading companies, banks and businesses. I also met with a number of Japanese businesses that are negotiating to import agricultural products from South Australia. During these meetings, I was particularly pleased to be able to reinforce our state's credentials as a producer of premium food and wine from our clean environment.

One of those businessmen, Mr Hirata, from the Hirata company, is visiting this week, and I joined him over on Kangaroo Island. His company purchases large quantities of canola from Kangaroo Island, as well as honey products. As I said, it is very important to keep building on these relationships and to keep building up these international markets. The Japanese, obviously, are very concerned about the credence of their food products, and I was able to reinforce the GM-free status of South Australia and how the moratorium until 2019 will ensure continued GM-free products.

So, Mr President, you can see that the trip was highly successful. It has benefited many South Australian primary producers and other industries—

The Hon. D.W. Ridgway interjecting:

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: Well, Mr President, when the opposition leader comes into this place and misleads this place—deliberately misinforms in a dishonest way—when I know he's got the information, I will read him the riot act. Letter by letter, I will take him through what I have achieved and what the benefits for this state have been.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! The Hon. Mr Ridgway, do you have a supplementary?

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