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Legislative Council - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2015-09-09 Daily Xml
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South Australia-South East Asia Engagement Strategy

The Hon. J.M. GAZZOLA (14:44): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! The Hon. Mr Gazzola has the floor.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. J.M. GAZZOLA: I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Employment, Higher Education and Skills a question about international education.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.M. GAZZOLA: Our proximity to South-East Asia and our longstanding cultural and business relationships provide us with natural advantages to increase the number of international students from the region. Can the minister provide an outline of the government's recent mission to South-East Asia?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Employment, Higher Education and Skills, Minister for Science and Information Economy, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Business Services and Consumers) (14:45): I thank the honourable member for his most important question. Southeast Asia, with its rapidly increasing population and rising incomes, is obviously an extremely important region to our state, and that is why we have developed the South Australia-South East Asia Engagement Strategy. It is also why we have committed to both inbound and outbound missions to promote further education in the region.

Last month, I was pleased to accompany the Premier and minister Hamilton-Smith on the largest South Australian delegation to visit the region, the first Australian business mission to visit Singapore post the signing of the comprehensive strategic partnership between Australia and Singapore and the largest ever Australian state business delegation to visit Thailand.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: In 2014, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand were our third, 10th and 15th source markets for international students respectively. Not only have our universities educated thousands of students from these three countries since the introduction of the new Colombo Plan, but we have had many notable alumni, including President Tony Tan, the President of Singapore, and many senior government officials including ministers from both Singapore and Malaysian governments.

The mission to South-East Asia brought together a powerful group to start a genuine dialogue within country counterparts against the ambitions expressed in our South Australia-Southeast Asia Engagement Strategy. I was very pleased that Vice Chancellors Colin Stirling from Flinders, Professor David Lloyd from University of South Australia, Professor Warren Bebbington from Adelaide University and Chancellor Dr Ian Gould of the University of South Australia—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Will the honourable Leader of the Opposition please refrain from talking during the minister's answer?

The Hon. D.W. Ridgway: What about minister Maher?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: —and Robin Murt, CE of TAFE South Australia could also join me on the mission.

The PRESIDENT: Minister, just one second. The fact is that minister Maher—I was going to go to you next. But minister Maher seems to be able to whisper. Unfortunately, the Leader of the Opposition has a much deeper voice, a little bit like the Hon. Mr Brokenshire. The minister has the right and I think you should have that respect and that right to answer the question in silence. So, minister, can you please get up and answer the question?

The Hon. D.W. Ridgway interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Well, you do, so contain yourself.

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: He did a wonderful job on that trade mission, I have to say. The quality of his work was quite spectacular and I have to say he was a real pleasure to work with, I have to say. I very much enjoy working with him. I find him to be a man of very high integrity and significant work ethic.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: A number of people were able to join me on the mission. Some of the highlights included attending the Singapore-South Australia Gala Dinner, a celebration of the 50th anniversary of both Singapore's independence and South Australia's diplomatic relationship with Singapore. The guest of honour was President Tony Tan who is an alumnus of the University of Adelaide. It was great that we were able to honour President Tan with a scholarship program named in his honour for students commencing a postgraduate research program at Adelaide University in either science or maths.

I also held a number of meetings looking at how we can further support our start-ups with venture capital support and discussed collaboration opportunities for South Australian researchers. I was pleased to witness the signing of an MOU between UniSA and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, a US university with a campus in Singapore, which would facilitate staff and student exchange as well as research collaboration. While in Malaysia I launched South Australia's Destination Adelaide Plan, which will guide the state's investment of $9.9 million over four years in promoting Adelaide's education capabilities to international students.

I also witnessed the signing of a collaborative agreement between Flinders University and HELP University, which will facilitate the continuation of the joint Bachelor of Psychological Science and Bachelor of Psychological Science (Honours) program. It was in fact expanding that program. I joined TAFE SA in meeting with the SG Academy regarding future commercial opportunities for TAFE SA to develop training partnerships and offering TAFE SA diplomas to Malaysian students.

In Thailand, I presented a letter to the Royal Thai Government expressing South Australia's intent to form closer links with Thailand, particularly in regard to vocational education and training, and both governments will now look to explore new opportunities for student exchanges, study tours (including professional development for teachers and lecturers) and also scholarships. At this same meeting I discussed a commercial opportunity for TAFE SA with the Secretary-General of the Office of the Vocational Education Commission, which would see TAFE SA provide vocational courses and English-language courses to Thai students. They recently put out an expression of interest and were able to speak very strongly to our application.

I also witnessed the signing of an MOU between Torrens University and Thailand's Stamford University to facilitate an exchange of students between the universities, and that exchange will start in 2016. Other examples of immediate opportunities for South Australia that were as a direct result of the mission included:

a significant new partnership, which was secured between South Australia's Thomas Foods and Thailand's CP Group;

an agreement between Penang's George Town Festival and Adelaide's OzAsia Festival was signed; and

a $175 million 30-floor hotel and residential apartment development has been proposed for a prime Adelaide city address.

As I have indicated, South-East Asia provides great opportunities for South Australia and I am looking forward to engaging in this region to progress these and other mutually beneficial outcomes.

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