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Legislative Council - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2016-06-07 Daily Xml
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Entrepreneurs Week

The Hon. T.T. NGO (14:44): My question is to the Minister for Manufacturing and Innovation. Can the minister tell the chamber of the importance of Entrepreneurs Week to South Australia's start-up community?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Employment, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation, Minister for Manufacturing and Innovation, Minister for Automotive Transformation, Minister for Science and Information Economy) (14:44): I thank the honourable member for his question and his ongoing interest in the growth of entrepreneurship and innovation in South Australia. There has been heightened activity occurring in Adelaide in recent days as entrepreneurs descend on our city for Entrepreneurs Week 2016. Many members may have noticed information on signage on the poles around town. Thousands of entrepreneurs are expected to come together to celebrate and embrace South Australia as a place where entrepreneurs thrive. Over the week, South Australia's support programs and success stories from our thriving start-up community will be showcased, positioning our state as the place for innovation, a place where entrepreneurs collaborate and network and, importantly, a place where entrepreneurship flourishes.

I understand that last year more than 1,500 registrations were received for 16 events and I am told that we have nearly doubled the amount of events from last year. Some of the events directly supported by the government include the SouthStart Conference, the two-day conference which will provide opportunities for entrepreneurs, investors, mentors and service providers to get together and share their experiences and explore new opportunities. The government supported the opening event of the week with the Innovation Starts Here session held yesterday, featuring acclaimed speakers like the CEO of Disruptor, Tom Hajdu, and inventor, writer, entrepreneur and broadcaster, Mark Pesce.

Calls for nominations for the 2016 Winnovation Awards coincided with the opening of the week. These awards showcase and celebrate the success of South Australia's female innovators as well as those businesses that support innovative women, recognising South Australian women who are making a real impact in their field that is providing innovation in their area of endeavour. These awards continue to grow, with two new categories this year recognising the achievements of women in government and emerging innovators.

South Australia's recognition as a state that fosters creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship continues to build and these awards recognise the important contribution that women in our state are making to our economic growth. Entrepreneurs Week really delivers something for everyone with an interest and there are many free and paid events on offer across the program. The government recognises that South Australia's entrepreneurial ecosystem has evolved over recent years. Not that long ago Adelaide was home to only a handful of start-up companies and fast forward to today and we have an impressive list of young up-and-coming start-ups and entrepreneurs who are joining other well-established businesses that are making a name for themselves here in Adelaide.

We know, through the growth of entrepreneurial activity, that the evolution of our entrepreneurial ecosystem increases and the capability that accelerates commercialisation, economic growth and job creation in our state can be realised. Our state's entrepreneurs, our co-working spaces, our support programs and our research institutions are providing the foundations for new companies to start up and for firms to invest and for innovation to flourish. This has been recognised at a national level as well.

We had a visitor to Adelaide recently who had some very positive things to say about what we are doing in this field. He said:

South Australia already has enormous competitive advantages, including world-class universities, a substantial industry base with a great capacity to innovate, an abundance of mineral and energy resources, rich agricultural lands and some of the finest food and wine in the world, a capital city bursting with vibrancy and, relative to many other Australian cities, more affordable housing.

As the information age revolutionises the way we work and live and do business, South Australia is perfectly positioned to become a hub of the ideas boom.

He went on to say:

A smart state, productive, technologically advanced and up to the challenge of competing with the world's best.

Over the years, however, I've often heard South Australians' concern that their children feel that they need to look elsewhere to study, start and build a career and once they leave, they won't come back.

Now, this attitude is in nobody's interest.

I hear the Hon. Robert Brokenshire asking, 'Which recent visitor said this?' It was the Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, who said this about South Australia. That stands in stark contrast, the words from our Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, to the doom and gloom we constantly hear from Steven Marshall. They are two very different views, two very different outlooks.

The Hon. J.S.L. DAWKINS: Point of order, Mr President.

The PRESIDENT: Point of order.

The Hon. J.S.L. DAWKINS: The minister knows that he shouldn't refer to a member by his Christian name and surname.

The PRESIDENT: Take note, minister.

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: I thank the honourable member who has been here a lot longer than I and knows how this place works far better than most of us and—

The PRESIDENT: Keep on with your answer.

The Hon. J.S.L. Dawkins: So, the member for Dunstan. Is that what you meant?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: The member for Dunstan, the Leader of the Opposition in another place, constantly talks down this state. It is all tales of doom and gloom. It does not line up with reality and it does not line up with what the federal Liberal leader is saying who has a positive view about South Australia. Frankly, it was an embarrassment to the South Australian Liberal Party that we had the Prime Minister here telling the truth about some of the advantages that we have. I think the opposition here would do well to listen to some of the words of their federal leader about the possibilities for this state.

The PRESIDENT: Order! There may be two ex-ALP secretaries here, but there is also 14 years of government, so that has to say something.

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