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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1)
2018-11-14 Daily Xml
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Shanghai Trade Office

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (14:23): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking a question of the Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment regarding the Shanghai trade office.

Leave granted.

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN: Yesterday in question time, the minister indicated that, so far, the Shanghai trade office had a staff of one person only. A departmental briefing for the inspection tour of Shanghai states that accommodation was required for seven staff: a trade commissioner, three trade staff and three SA Tourism Commission staff. My questions to the minister are:

1. Will there be seven staff in the Shanghai trade office or has that plan been abandoned?

2. Why aren't the SA Tourism Commission and the Department for Trade, Tourism and Investment co-located in the same building, similar to the Victorian model?

3. Why is there no public information available about how to contact this office?

4. Will the contact information be made publicly available and, if so, when?

5. Did any private business from South Australia attend the opening and, if so, who?

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment) (14:24): I thank the honourable member for her ongoing interest in the Shanghai trade office. In answer to perhaps the second question, some of the early thoughts are that maybe co-location with Tourism would be a good idea, but the SATC and most of the tourism state bodies prefer to be located with Tourism Australia. They have a much better relationship with Tourism Australia and work closely together with Tourism Australia. For example, some of the incentive bids that we have been involved in with the Infinitus Group, and Nu Skin more recently, Tourism Australia has played an important role in that. So I think that some of the synergies for tourism make some sense.

At this point in time we have Xiaoya Wei. Xiaoya Wei is our only employee, but part of her brief is to then populate the office with, initially, at least one extra person. Our original policy commitment prior to the election would be to shift the position that's currently in Shanghai to Guangzhou; and we have Alice Jim, as I mentioned yesterday, who is based in Hong Kong.

Our initial response would be that we have some capacity for expansion within Austrade, within that particular building. Obviously, it's our intention to get the person—the director is there and she is coming to Adelaide shortly. She has obviously been selected, but she is coming for a visit for a few days to actually get the final briefings from the department. Then we will put somebody in Guangzhou and, of course, support Alice Jim in Hong Kong, and then the judgement will be made on a needs basis as to when we put extra people on.

It's interesting that the member opposite quotes a departmental briefing. I am interested to know the source of that departmental briefing because I don't recall—I may be wrong, but I don't recall us having any contemplation of putting three SATC people in an office in Shanghai, so I would be interested to know the source from which she is quoting.

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