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Legislative Council - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2013-11-12 Daily Xml
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FOOD AND WINE INDUSTRY

The Hon. J.S. LEE (15:11): Thank you, Mr President. I seek leave—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Ms Lee is about to ask a question.

The Hon. J.S. LEE: I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the minister—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! The Hon. Ms Lee, you are about to ask a question or to seek—

The Hon. G.E. Gago interjecting:

The Hon. J.S. LEE: This question is for you, minister.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: That's alright; I'll just duck out for a cup of coffee. The Hon. Ms Lee.

The Hon. J.S. LEE: Thank you, Mr President. I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Regional Development a question regarding the premium food and wine innovation clusters.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.S. LEE: In the 2013-14 state budget, the government announced the establishment of premium food and wine innovation clusters in the Riverland, Murraylands and the Limestone Coast at a cost of $2.7 million over five years. PIRSA was to appoint cluster coordinators to help to develop this initiative and an awareness program was to be put together. Just over $1 million was budgeted to be spent in the 2013-14 financial year; however, a number of industries know few details about the clusters. My questions are:

1. How many local stakeholders have been briefed by PIRSA on their involvement in the food and wine clusters and when will further consultation be undertaken?

2. Can the minister outline the spending priorities for the $1 million budgeted for the 2013-14 financial year?

3. Has the government identified specific sites for these innovation clusters to be based?

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) (15:13): I thank the honourable member for her most important questions. Indeed, this was a very important initiative that we put forward in terms of assisting the development of industry clusters in two particular sites. A great deal of work has already been undertaken. I have had reports in terms of a series of different meetings, forums, negotiations and dialogue with potentially interested partners. The initiative is specifically designed to build on the work that has already commenced. Both of those regions have already done some development of their industry clusters, so—

The Hon. J.S.L. Dawkins: That's a bit different from what you told me a while ago.

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: It's exactly consistent with what I told you a while ago, the Hon. John Dawkins: you never listen. The opposition never listens. I have spoken about this time and time again. We are working with industry. We committed right from the start to work with industry, and that is exactly what we have done, and we will continue to do so. So, a great deal of work has been undertaken.

In terms of what the spend has been to date, I am not sure, but my understanding is that we are well underway. In terms of its being embraced by local industries, they have welcomed this project. They are working in highly collaborative ways with PIRSA officers, and they can see the benefits of working in these collaborative ways. We know that in South Australia our primary industries, in particular, are characterised by small, often family, businesses. They have a great deal of trouble accessing some of the new and complex markets. They are family businesses and they struggle to be able to do that. Through these cluster arrangements we can assist smaller businesses to collectively work with and collaborate with other businesses, to look at whole supply chains and involve partners, or it might be a specific part of a supply chain that a group of stakeholders might be interested in exploring.

It is led by industry and it is to meet industry-identified needs and opportunities. PIRSA is there to assist, and the state government has made this new money available to assist, particularly, Primary Industries to do this. I accept the congratulations of the Hon. Jing Lee for this fabulous initiative of the government.

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