Mr MITCHELL - 2001-07-03
I believe recently two supermarket wholesalers from Brunei visited Darwin to check on export potential. I also believe that the Territory have a strong presence at last month’s International Food and Beverage Exhibition in Singapore. Can the minister please tell the House of the likely trade and business outcomes from these two events?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker,I amvery pleased to talk about some of the positive things this government is doing to create employment and growth in the Territory. I am pleased to say the government sponsored a trip to Darwin in May by prominent Brunei wholesaler, Mr Yong Nam Yee. That was to attend the annual trade show held by the John Lewis Foodservice Group - that is, Independent Grocers, Darwin. Mr Yong Nam Yee brought with him another major Brunei wholesaler, Mr Edwin Tai, who travelled here at his own expense because of his very keen interest in checking our trade potential.
John Lewis Foodservice’s annual trade fair at the Foskey Pavilion provides the company with an excellent opportunity to showcase and market its services to existing and potential customers. It is also a valuable opportunity for food wholesale and supermarket buyers to meet with major product suppliers to discuss new and existing products. Our Brunei visitors took the opportunity to meet many local food industry representatives, exporters and shippers. As a result, new trade between the Territory and Brunei is expected to occur.
Rooney Shipping was able to offer a very competitive freight rate to help develop such trade with regular live cattle shipments to Brunei. The ships have the capacity to carry several large containers of produce. Our visitors were particularly impressed with Pauls products and they are expected to start airfreighting milk and dairy products from Pauls in Darwin very soon.
They also indicated that they would attempt a first shipment of grocery product from John Lewis Foodservice in the very near future. As well, the visit is likely to lead to trial exports of dairy and dry grocery products to Brunei and there is a potential for fruit and vegetable, frozen fish and coffee exports to follow on. This visit appears to have achieved several positive outcomes for the development of trade between Darwin and Brunei. That shows that you do not have to keep on travelling overseas to get results; you can invite people here to get results.
The Leader of the Opposition, with her usual smart and smarmy comments, tries to denigrate members of this government for the work that we do in relation to our activities in Asia and in creating jobs in the Territory. Every time she throws a bit of mud, all she does is denigrate hard-working members of the public service and the private sector both here and overseas who are working to create jobs and employment in the Territory. She is not interested in that because that would ruin it for her political ambitions, because the more success we have here, the further behind the eight ball she gets.
That John Lewis thing is very, very good. The member for Millner actually brought up another subject, and that was how did we go with the SIAL International Food and Beverage Exhibition in Singapore recently. That event was held recently in Singapore and it is a food and beverage exhibition and Territory companies went. The Territory was actually the only Australian jurisdiction to display its products at this event. It is one of the world’s largest food and beverage shows. It attracts more than 5000 registrations from trade representatives and buyers from around the world, and it presents excellent opportunities for business to set up deals and market their products.
The Territory booth was coordinated by the Department of Asian Relations and Trade, and it displayed everything from mud crabs, mangoes, tropical flowers, hydroponic tomatoes, bush foods, grains, dried meats, melons and exotic condiments. Our Territory delegates attracted strong interest from the media and also wide-ranging interest from food industry representatives, particularly from the hospitality and restaurant sectors. They were able to meet local retailers and wholesalers, they visited the wet markets, went to a major wholesale centre, and freight distribution facilities. All of those who attended have reported on-going negotiations as a result of their discussions in Singapore. As a result the group is going to be exploring a range of trade options, including shipment of perishables to Singapore and beyond by air and sea freight.
Feedback from the visit has indicated a potential for tropical flowers to be exported to the Middle East and an increase of export of mud crabs to Singapore. Mangoes are expected to be exported to Singapore and other countries in the region. Another example of this Territory government facilitating growth in trade, growth in export and growth in jobs. Again, the minister did not have to travel to carry this out. The department followed up previous visits by myself and the Minister for Primary Industry and Fisheries, that build on the relationships we have developed and to do things which are going to create jobs.
Contrary to the aims and the aspirations of Labor who want to knock, knock, knock and tell fibs and throw mud, we are about doing things. We are about growing this Territory and giving opportunities to young Territorians to prosper.
ANSWER
Mr Speaker,I amvery pleased to talk about some of the positive things this government is doing to create employment and growth in the Territory. I am pleased to say the government sponsored a trip to Darwin in May by prominent Brunei wholesaler, Mr Yong Nam Yee. That was to attend the annual trade show held by the John Lewis Foodservice Group - that is, Independent Grocers, Darwin. Mr Yong Nam Yee brought with him another major Brunei wholesaler, Mr Edwin Tai, who travelled here at his own expense because of his very keen interest in checking our trade potential.
John Lewis Foodservice’s annual trade fair at the Foskey Pavilion provides the company with an excellent opportunity to showcase and market its services to existing and potential customers. It is also a valuable opportunity for food wholesale and supermarket buyers to meet with major product suppliers to discuss new and existing products. Our Brunei visitors took the opportunity to meet many local food industry representatives, exporters and shippers. As a result, new trade between the Territory and Brunei is expected to occur.
Rooney Shipping was able to offer a very competitive freight rate to help develop such trade with regular live cattle shipments to Brunei. The ships have the capacity to carry several large containers of produce. Our visitors were particularly impressed with Pauls products and they are expected to start airfreighting milk and dairy products from Pauls in Darwin very soon.
They also indicated that they would attempt a first shipment of grocery product from John Lewis Foodservice in the very near future. As well, the visit is likely to lead to trial exports of dairy and dry grocery products to Brunei and there is a potential for fruit and vegetable, frozen fish and coffee exports to follow on. This visit appears to have achieved several positive outcomes for the development of trade between Darwin and Brunei. That shows that you do not have to keep on travelling overseas to get results; you can invite people here to get results.
The Leader of the Opposition, with her usual smart and smarmy comments, tries to denigrate members of this government for the work that we do in relation to our activities in Asia and in creating jobs in the Territory. Every time she throws a bit of mud, all she does is denigrate hard-working members of the public service and the private sector both here and overseas who are working to create jobs and employment in the Territory. She is not interested in that because that would ruin it for her political ambitions, because the more success we have here, the further behind the eight ball she gets.
That John Lewis thing is very, very good. The member for Millner actually brought up another subject, and that was how did we go with the SIAL International Food and Beverage Exhibition in Singapore recently. That event was held recently in Singapore and it is a food and beverage exhibition and Territory companies went. The Territory was actually the only Australian jurisdiction to display its products at this event. It is one of the world’s largest food and beverage shows. It attracts more than 5000 registrations from trade representatives and buyers from around the world, and it presents excellent opportunities for business to set up deals and market their products.
The Territory booth was coordinated by the Department of Asian Relations and Trade, and it displayed everything from mud crabs, mangoes, tropical flowers, hydroponic tomatoes, bush foods, grains, dried meats, melons and exotic condiments. Our Territory delegates attracted strong interest from the media and also wide-ranging interest from food industry representatives, particularly from the hospitality and restaurant sectors. They were able to meet local retailers and wholesalers, they visited the wet markets, went to a major wholesale centre, and freight distribution facilities. All of those who attended have reported on-going negotiations as a result of their discussions in Singapore. As a result the group is going to be exploring a range of trade options, including shipment of perishables to Singapore and beyond by air and sea freight.
Feedback from the visit has indicated a potential for tropical flowers to be exported to the Middle East and an increase of export of mud crabs to Singapore. Mangoes are expected to be exported to Singapore and other countries in the region. Another example of this Territory government facilitating growth in trade, growth in export and growth in jobs. Again, the minister did not have to travel to carry this out. The department followed up previous visits by myself and the Minister for Primary Industry and Fisheries, that build on the relationships we have developed and to do things which are going to create jobs.
Contrary to the aims and the aspirations of Labor who want to knock, knock, knock and tell fibs and throw mud, we are about doing things. We are about growing this Territory and giving opportunities to young Territorians to prosper.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016