Mr SETTER - 1996-05-16
I understand that a new factory is planned for Alice Springs, with the potential to create 60 jobs within 5 years. As a person who enjoys visiting Alice Springs, and in the absence of my backbench colleagues from Alice Springs, I ask the minister for details of this venture.
Page 1371
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, I thank the honourable member for his interest. I am sure my response will be of interest to the member for MacDonnell and the member for Stuart.
A consortium of Italian-based interests and an Alice Springs businessman, Tony Alicastro, are setting up a factory in Alice Springs to process Italian-style vegetables. This consortium has already purchased a 20-acre farm at Ti Tree - I am sure the member for Stuart is aware of that - where it intends to grow tomatoes and sun-dry them to provide stock for the factory to process. I should point out that this new venture is already established and the parties have already invested more than $0.5m in the Territory. The consortium is currently fitting out the factory and is expected to begin production trials next week.
Italian financial investment in the venture has allowed the creation of a new primary industry at the Ti Tree farm, where the tomatoes will be produced, and the creation of a unique secondary industry in Alice Springs to process the vegetables, which is great. Along with this comes the creation of at least 10 new jobs in the first year, and there is potential for the creation of some 60 new jobs over the next 5 years. In a relatively small town, that employment is appreciated. It will certainly assist economic development in central Australia.
The consortium has identified a reasonable amount of export potential. Apparently, Australia currently imports some 4 million kilograms of vegetables, some 25 million kilograms of processed tomatoes and some 14 million litres of olive oil. I understand that the consortium plans to penetrate this market with Italian-style food products, particularly olive products, grown and processed in Alice Springs for export interstate in the first instance. The consortium's primary objective is to process Italian-style vegetables - artichokes, capsicums, olives and tomatoes - from South Australia under the trade name of Rosario & Antonio for the domestic market. The secondary objective is to process dried tomatoes, grown at the farm at Ti Tree. The first planting is expected in August and some 30 000 kg of tomatoes should be ready for drying by October this year, at which time the consortium will begin replacing imported tomato stock.
The long-term objective is first to increase the processing output of the factory from the consortium's own farm, and to supplement that through the purchase of other farmers' tomato products from Ti Tree. The consortium hopes also to plant other viable vegetable products, particularly olives. In addition, it intends to secure land in the Ti Tree region for the planting of at least 500 ha of olive trees for the production of olives and olive oil varieties. This is a very bold new venture, and I am sure that the people of Alice Springs will welcome it. Not only does it offer good employment prospects, but it will contribute significantly to the establishment of a manufacturing base which is sorely needed for the benefit of Alice Springs, central Australia and, in fact, the whole of the Territory.
Page 1372
Page 1371
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, I thank the honourable member for his interest. I am sure my response will be of interest to the member for MacDonnell and the member for Stuart.
A consortium of Italian-based interests and an Alice Springs businessman, Tony Alicastro, are setting up a factory in Alice Springs to process Italian-style vegetables. This consortium has already purchased a 20-acre farm at Ti Tree - I am sure the member for Stuart is aware of that - where it intends to grow tomatoes and sun-dry them to provide stock for the factory to process. I should point out that this new venture is already established and the parties have already invested more than $0.5m in the Territory. The consortium is currently fitting out the factory and is expected to begin production trials next week.
Italian financial investment in the venture has allowed the creation of a new primary industry at the Ti Tree farm, where the tomatoes will be produced, and the creation of a unique secondary industry in Alice Springs to process the vegetables, which is great. Along with this comes the creation of at least 10 new jobs in the first year, and there is potential for the creation of some 60 new jobs over the next 5 years. In a relatively small town, that employment is appreciated. It will certainly assist economic development in central Australia.
The consortium has identified a reasonable amount of export potential. Apparently, Australia currently imports some 4 million kilograms of vegetables, some 25 million kilograms of processed tomatoes and some 14 million litres of olive oil. I understand that the consortium plans to penetrate this market with Italian-style food products, particularly olive products, grown and processed in Alice Springs for export interstate in the first instance. The consortium's primary objective is to process Italian-style vegetables - artichokes, capsicums, olives and tomatoes - from South Australia under the trade name of Rosario & Antonio for the domestic market. The secondary objective is to process dried tomatoes, grown at the farm at Ti Tree. The first planting is expected in August and some 30 000 kg of tomatoes should be ready for drying by October this year, at which time the consortium will begin replacing imported tomato stock.
The long-term objective is first to increase the processing output of the factory from the consortium's own farm, and to supplement that through the purchase of other farmers' tomato products from Ti Tree. The consortium hopes also to plant other viable vegetable products, particularly olives. In addition, it intends to secure land in the Ti Tree region for the planting of at least 500 ha of olive trees for the production of olives and olive oil varieties. This is a very bold new venture, and I am sure that the people of Alice Springs will welcome it. Not only does it offer good employment prospects, but it will contribute significantly to the establishment of a manufacturing base which is sorely needed for the benefit of Alice Springs, central Australia and, in fact, the whole of the Territory.
Page 1372
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016