❓ The Premier details the benefits of his trade mission to Russia, highlighting the strong Russian economy, interest in WA's expertise and investment opportunities, and positive reception of the delegation.
AnsweredQoN 198Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
PREMIER — TRADE AND INVESTMENT MISSION TO RUSSIA
Will the Premier please tell the house how his recent trade and investment mission to Russia will benefit Western Australia’s economy? Mr A.J. CARPENTER
Will the Premier please tell the house how his recent trade and investment mission to Russia will benefit Western Australia’s economy? Mr A.J. CARPENTER
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Kingsley for the question. When I was in Siberia, I was surprised by the nature of life in Siberia. It is very different from what I thought it would be. It is an incredible place and I encourage people to go there. It is a magnificent place. On Saturday, 26 April, after my visit to the Anzac sites in France and Belgium, which I mentioned in my brief ministerial statement, I led a trade and investment delegation to St Petersburg, Moscow and Tomsk. Tomsk is in western Siberia. The delegation consisted of the Chief Scientist, Professor Lyn Beazley; the Nobel Prize winner for medicine 2005, Professor Barry Marshall; and representatives of the Chamber of Minerals and Energy Western Australia, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Western Australia, Curtin University, the University of WA and the Western Australian Department of Industry and Resources. I was taken aback when I was informed by the Australian Ambassador to Russia that this delegation was the first official visit to Russia by not only a Western Australian Premier, but also an Australian politician of any rank, certainly of senior rank, for more than three years. No federal ministers have been to Russia for more than three years. It is quite incredible that such a circumstance should have occurred, and it needs to be addressed. The first thing that struck me about modern Russia is that its economy is strong and vibrant and its life is vibrant. The attitude and wealth can be seen on the streets, in the shops, on the roads and in the boardrooms. Russia is now the ninth-largest economy in the world and it is growing very rapidly. It is hungry for trade and investment opportunities with the rest of the world, including Australia. It is hungry for engagement with Australia. The trip included government-to-government meetings with the government of the Leningrad region, which surrounds St Petersburg, including with the Deputy Governor of St Petersburg and the Mayor of Moscow, who is one of the most senior people in Russia and is very interesting. I raised matters with him and he directed people to get on the telephone and investigate the matters as we spoke. I met also with the Governor of the Tomsk region, who visited Western Australia with a delegation last year when they were on their way to the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia and other senior colleagues. An amazing aspect of the trip was the meetings we had with senior business executives. We met with executives from the St Petersburg State Mining Institute, the Gipronickel Institute, Metalloinvest, Gazprom, the Russian Chamber of Commerce, and Norilsk Nickel. We also visited the Siberian State Medical University and the Tomsk Polytechnic University. At all these meetings, the feedback about our state was very positive. In Russia it is striking how youthful the senior executives in business are. The senior executives in government tend to be somewhat older. In business, they are the young firebrands of Russia. When I say young, people in their twenties are running companies such as Gazprom. It is incredible. The companies in Russia are keen to invest in Western Australia. I am not talking just about direct investment in our minerals and gas reserves. They also want our expertise, our knowledge, our skills and our technology to enable them to release the potential that is still to be released in Russia’s vast mining and resource industries and other aspects of its economy. There is great interest in our research and innovation capabilities. Professor Marshall, being a Nobel prize winner, was feted almost like a rock star wherever we went. That is very different from the somewhat relaxed attitude that we in Western Australia take towards people of his status. At every meeting, he was given huge attention, as was our senior scientist, Professor Beazley. At every meeting that we had we took the opportunity to promote the square kilometre array project. The member for Geraldton would have been heartened by the great level of interest in this project. When we told them that it is the biggest radioastronomy project in history, and one of the biggest science projects of all time, they immediately locked in. We received a very encouraging response from Russian administrators and scientists to this $2.5 billion project. I hope we can look forward to Russian support for our bid. The Minister for Culture and the Arts, and Tourism, asked me to make sure that we did not miss the opportunity to promote Western Australia for tourism. We did that. The Russians have a great curiosity about Australia. Australia is a country that not many Russians have visited. With the newfound wealth of Russian business and the Russian community, hundreds of thousands—probably millions—of Russians are now travelling abroad. They have a lot of money to spend. The Russians say that they are the biggest tourism spenders in the world. They are very keen to come to Australia. There is a great opportunity, minister, now that we have established these initial relationships, for that to take place. I would also like to see more cultural links established between Russia and Western Australia. We are, of course, aware to some extent of Russia’s amazing cultural tradition. The St Petersburg exhibition that was held at the Art Gallery of Western Australia in 2005 was the most visited exhibition ever at the Art Gallery by a factor of two. The Russians have great interest in our art, particularly our Indigenous art, and other matters. I also had the privilege of visiting the studio in Tomsk of one of Russia’s finest wood sculptors, Leonty Yusev. Yusev exhibits in New York, Paris and London—in fact, all over the world—but not in Australia. The delegation was given a discussion by Yusev about his work. He is very keen to come to Western Australia. The opportunities that exist with Russia are endless. I anticipate that this trip will open up a whole new panorama of opportunities between Russia and the Western Australian economy that will deliver us great benefits.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: I thank the member for Kingsley for the question. When I was in Siberia, I was surprised by the nature of life in Siberia. It is very different from what I thought it would be. It is an incredible place and I encourage people to go there. It is a magnificent place. On Saturday, 26 April, after my visit to the Anzac sites in France and Belgium, which I mentioned in my brief ministerial statement, I led a trade and investment delegation to St Petersburg, Moscow and Tomsk. Tomsk is in western Siberia. The delegation consisted of the Chief Scientist, Professor Lyn Beazley; the Nobel Prize winner for medicine 2005, Professor Barry Marshall; and representatives of the Chamber of Minerals and Energy Western Australia, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Western Australia, Curtin University, the University of WA and the Western Australian Department of Industry and Resources. I was taken aback when I was informed by the Australian Ambassador to Russia that this delegation was the first official visit to Russia by not only a Western Australian Premier, but also an Australian politician of any rank, certainly of senior rank, for more than three years. No federal ministers have been to Russia for more than three years. It is quite incredible that such a circumstance should have occurred, and it needs to be addressed. The first thing that struck me about modern Russia is that its economy is strong and vibrant and its life is vibrant. The attitude and wealth can be seen on the streets, in the shops, on the roads and in the boardrooms. Russia is now the ninth-largest economy in the world and it is growing very rapidly. It is hungry for trade and investment opportunities with the rest of the world, including Australia. It is hungry for engagement with Australia. The trip included government-to-government meetings with the government of the Leningrad region, which surrounds St Petersburg, including with the Deputy Governor of St Petersburg and the Mayor of Moscow, who is one of the most senior people in Russia and is very interesting. I raised matters with him and he directed people to get on the telephone and investigate the matters as we spoke. I met also with the Governor of the Tomsk region, who visited Western Australia with a delegation last year when they were on their way to the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia and other senior colleagues. An amazing aspect of the trip was the meetings we had with senior business executives. We met with executives from the St Petersburg State Mining Institute, the Gipronickel Institute, Metalloinvest, Gazprom, the Russian Chamber of Commerce, and Norilsk Nickel. We also visited the Siberian State Medical University and the Tomsk Polytechnic University. At all these meetings, the feedback about our state was very positive. In Russia it is striking how youthful the senior executives in business are. The senior executives in government tend to be somewhat older. In business, they are the young firebrands of Russia. When I say young, people in their twenties are running companies such as Gazprom. It is incredible. The companies in Russia are keen to invest in Western Australia. I am not talking just about direct investment in our minerals and gas reserves. They also want our expertise, our knowledge, our skills and our technology to enable them to release the potential that is still to be released in Russia’s vast mining and resource industries and other aspects of its economy. There is great interest in our research and innovation capabilities. Professor Marshall, being a Nobel prize winner, was feted almost like a rock star wherever we went. That is very different from the somewhat relaxed attitude that we in Western Australia take towards people of his status. At every meeting, he was given huge attention, as was our senior scientist, Professor Beazley. At every meeting that we had we took the opportunity to promote the square kilometre array project. The member for Geraldton would have been heartened by the great level of interest in this project. When we told them that it is the biggest radioastronomy project in history, and one of the biggest science projects of all time, they immediately locked in. We received a very encouraging response from Russian administrators and scientists to this $2.5 billion project. I hope we can look forward to Russian support for our bid. The Minister for Culture and the Arts, and Tourism, asked me to make sure that we did not miss the opportunity to promote Western Australia for tourism. We did that. The Russians have a great curiosity about Australia. Australia is a country that not many Russians have visited. With the newfound wealth of Russian business and the Russian community, hundreds of thousands—probably millions—of Russians are now travelling abroad. They have a lot of money to spend. The Russians say that they are the biggest tourism spenders in the world. They are very keen to come to Australia. There is a great opportunity, minister, now that we have established these initial relationships, for that to take place. I would also like to see more cultural links established between Russia and Western Australia. We are, of course, aware to some extent of Russia’s amazing cultural tradition. The St Petersburg exhibition that was held at the Art Gallery of Western Australia in 2005 was the most visited exhibition ever at the Art Gallery by a factor of two. The Russians have great interest in our art, particularly our Indigenous art, and other matters. I also had the privilege of visiting the studio in Tomsk of one of Russia’s finest wood sculptors, Leonty Yusev. Yusev exhibits in New York, Paris and London—in fact, all over the world—but not in Australia. The delegation was given a discussion by Yusev about his work. He is very keen to come to Western Australia. The opportunities that exist with Russia are endless. I anticipate that this trip will open up a whole new panorama of opportunities between Russia and the Western Australian economy that will deliver us great benefits.
I thank the member for Kingsley for the question. When I was in Siberia, I was surprised by the nature of life in Siberia. It is very different from what I thought it would be. It is an incredible place and I encourage people to go there. It is a magnificent place. On Saturday, 26 April, after my visit to the Anzac sites in France and Belgium, which I mentioned in my brief ministerial statement, I led a trade and investment delegation to St Petersburg, Moscow and Tomsk. Tomsk is in western Siberia. The delegation consisted of the Chief Scientist, Professor Lyn Beazley; the Nobel Prize winner for medicine 2005, Professor Barry Marshall; and representatives of the Chamber of Minerals and Energy Western Australia, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Western Australia, Curtin University, the University of WA and the Western Australian Department of Industry and Resources. I was taken aback when I was informed by the Australian Ambassador to Russia that this delegation was the first official visit to Russia by not only a Western Australian Premier, but also an Australian politician of any rank, certainly of senior rank, for more than three years. No federal ministers have been to Russia for more than three years. It is quite incredible that such a circumstance should have occurred, and it needs to be addressed. The first thing that struck me about modern Russia is that its economy is strong and vibrant and its life is vibrant. The attitude and wealth can be seen on the streets, in the shops, on the roads and in the boardrooms. Russia is now the ninth-largest economy in the world and it is growing very rapidly. It is hungry for trade and investment opportunities with the rest of the world, including Australia. It is hungry for engagement with Australia. The trip included government-to-government meetings with the government of the Leningrad region, which surrounds St Petersburg, including with the Deputy Governor of St Petersburg and the Mayor of Moscow, who is one of the most senior people in Russia and is very interesting. I raised matters with him and he directed people to get on the telephone and investigate the matters as we spoke. I met also with the Governor of the Tomsk region, who visited Western Australia with a delegation last year when they were on their way to the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia and other senior colleagues. An amazing aspect of the trip was the meetings we had with senior business executives. We met with executives from the St Petersburg State Mining Institute, the Gipronickel Institute, Metalloinvest, Gazprom, the Russian Chamber of Commerce, and Norilsk Nickel. We also visited the Siberian State Medical University and the Tomsk Polytechnic University. At all these meetings, the feedback about our state was very positive. In Russia it is striking how youthful the senior executives in business are. The senior executives in government tend to be somewhat older. In business, they are the young firebrands of Russia. When I say young, people in their twenties are running companies such as Gazprom. It is incredible. The companies in Russia are keen to invest in Western Australia. I am not talking just about direct investment in our minerals and gas reserves. They also want our expertise, our knowledge, our skills and our technology to enable them to release the potential that is still to be released in Russia’s vast mining and resource industries and other aspects of its economy. There is great interest in our research and innovation capabilities. Professor Marshall, being a Nobel prize winner, was feted almost like a rock star wherever we went. That is very different from the somewhat relaxed attitude that we in Western Australia take towards people of his status. At every meeting, he was given huge attention, as was our senior scientist, Professor Beazley. At every meeting that we had we took the opportunity to promote the square kilometre array project. The member for Geraldton would have been heartened by the great level of interest in this project. When we told them that it is the biggest radioastronomy project in history, and one of the biggest science projects of all time, they immediately locked in. We received a very encouraging response from Russian administrators and scientists to this $2.5 billion project. I hope we can look forward to Russian support for our bid. The Minister for Culture and the Arts, and Tourism, asked me to make sure that we did not miss the opportunity to promote Western Australia for tourism. We did that. The Russians have a great curiosity about Australia. Australia is a country that not many Russians have visited. With the newfound wealth of Russian business and the Russian community, hundreds of thousands—probably millions—of Russians are now travelling abroad. They have a lot of money to spend. The Russians say that they are the biggest tourism spenders in the world. They are very keen to come to Australia. There is a great opportunity, minister, now that we have established these initial relationships, for that to take place. I would also like to see more cultural links established between Russia and Western Australia. We are, of course, aware to some extent of Russia’s amazing cultural tradition. The St Petersburg exhibition that was held at the Art Gallery of Western Australia in 2005 was the most visited exhibition ever at the Art Gallery by a factor of two. The Russians have great interest in our art, particularly our Indigenous art, and other matters. I also had the privilege of visiting the studio in Tomsk of one of Russia’s finest wood sculptors, Leonty Yusev. Yusev exhibits in New York, Paris and London—in fact, all over the world—but not in Australia. The delegation was given a discussion by Yusev about his work. He is very keen to come to Western Australia. The opportunities that exist with Russia are endless. I anticipate that this trip will open up a whole new panorama of opportunities between Russia and the Western Australian economy that will deliver us great benefits.
The first thing that struck me about modern Russia is that its economy is strong and vibrant and its life is vibrant. The attitude and wealth can be seen on the streets, in the shops, on the roads and in the boardrooms. Russia is now the ninth-largest economy in the world and it is growing very rapidly. It is hungry for trade and investment opportunities with the rest of the world, including Australia. It is hungry for engagement with Australia. The trip included government-to-government meetings with the government of the Leningrad region, which surrounds St Petersburg, including with the Deputy Governor of St Petersburg and the Mayor of Moscow, who is one of the most senior people in Russia and is very interesting. I raised matters with him and he directed people to get on the telephone and investigate the matters as we spoke. I met also with the Governor of the Tomsk region, who visited Western Australia with a delegation last year when they were on their way to the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia and other senior colleagues. An amazing aspect of the trip was the meetings we had with senior business executives. We met with executives from the St Petersburg State Mining Institute, the Gipronickel Institute, Metalloinvest, Gazprom, the Russian Chamber of Commerce, and Norilsk Nickel. We also visited the Siberian State Medical University and the Tomsk Polytechnic University. At all these meetings, the feedback about our state was very positive. In Russia it is striking how youthful the senior executives in business are. The senior executives in government tend to be somewhat older. In business, they are the young firebrands of Russia. When I say young, people in their twenties are running companies such as Gazprom. It is incredible. The companies in Russia are keen to invest in Western Australia. I am not talking just about direct investment in our minerals and gas reserves. They also want our expertise, our knowledge, our skills and our technology to enable them to release the potential that is still to be released in Russia’s vast mining and resource industries and other aspects of its economy. There is great interest in our research and innovation capabilities. Professor Marshall, being a Nobel prize winner, was feted almost like a rock star wherever we went. That is very different from the somewhat relaxed attitude that we in Western Australia take towards people of his status. At every meeting, he was given huge attention, as was our senior scientist, Professor Beazley. At every meeting that we had we took the opportunity to promote the square kilometre array project. The member for Geraldton would have been heartened by the great level of interest in this project. When we told them that it is the biggest radioastronomy project in history, and one of the biggest science projects of all time, they immediately locked in. We received a very encouraging response from Russian administrators and scientists to this $2.5 billion project. I hope we can look forward to Russian support for our bid. The Minister for Culture and the Arts, and Tourism, asked me to make sure that we did not miss the opportunity to promote Western Australia for tourism. We did that. The Russians have a great curiosity about Australia. Australia is a country that not many Russians have visited. With the newfound wealth of Russian business and the Russian community, hundreds of thousands—probably millions—of Russians are now travelling abroad. They have a lot of money to spend. The Russians say that they are the biggest tourism spenders in the world. They are very keen to come to Australia. There is a great opportunity, minister, now that we have established these initial relationships, for that to take place. I would also like to see more cultural links established between Russia and Western Australia. We are, of course, aware to some extent of Russia’s amazing cultural tradition. The St Petersburg exhibition that was held at the Art Gallery of Western Australia in 2005 was the most visited exhibition ever at the Art Gallery by a factor of two. The Russians have great interest in our art, particularly our Indigenous art, and other matters. I also had the privilege of visiting the studio in Tomsk of one of Russia’s finest wood sculptors, Leonty Yusev. Yusev exhibits in New York, Paris and London—in fact, all over the world—but not in Australia. The delegation was given a discussion by Yusev about his work. He is very keen to come to Western Australia. The opportunities that exist with Russia are endless. I anticipate that this trip will open up a whole new panorama of opportunities between Russia and the Western Australian economy that will deliver us great benefits.
At every meeting that we had we took the opportunity to promote the square kilometre array project. The member for Geraldton would have been heartened by the great level of interest in this project. When we told them that it is the biggest radioastronomy project in history, and one of the biggest science projects of all time, they immediately locked in. We received a very encouraging response from Russian administrators and scientists to this $2.5 billion project. I hope we can look forward to Russian support for our bid. The Minister for Culture and the Arts, and Tourism, asked me to make sure that we did not miss the opportunity to promote Western Australia for tourism. We did that. The Russians have a great curiosity about Australia. Australia is a country that not many Russians have visited. With the newfound wealth of Russian business and the Russian community, hundreds of thousands—probably millions—of Russians are now travelling abroad. They have a lot of money to spend. The Russians say that they are the biggest tourism spenders in the world. They are very keen to come to Australia. There is a great opportunity, minister, now that we have established these initial relationships, for that to take place. I would also like to see more cultural links established between Russia and Western Australia. We are, of course, aware to some extent of Russia’s amazing cultural tradition. The St Petersburg exhibition that was held at the Art Gallery of Western Australia in 2005 was the most visited exhibition ever at the Art Gallery by a factor of two. The Russians have great interest in our art, particularly our Indigenous art, and other matters. I also had the privilege of visiting the studio in Tomsk of one of Russia’s finest wood sculptors, Leonty Yusev. Yusev exhibits in New York, Paris and London—in fact, all over the world—but not in Australia. The delegation was given a discussion by Yusev about his work. He is very keen to come to Western Australia. The opportunities that exist with Russia are endless. I anticipate that this trip will open up a whole new panorama of opportunities between Russia and the Western Australian economy that will deliver us great benefits.
The Minister for Culture and the Arts, and Tourism, asked me to make sure that we did not miss the opportunity to promote Western Australia for tourism. We did that. The Russians have a great curiosity about Australia. Australia is a country that not many Russians have visited. With the newfound wealth of Russian business and the Russian community, hundreds of thousands—probably millions—of Russians are now travelling abroad. They have a lot of money to spend. The Russians say that they are the biggest tourism spenders in the world. They are very keen to come to Australia. There is a great opportunity, minister, now that we have established these initial relationships, for that to take place. I would also like to see more cultural links established between Russia and Western Australia. We are, of course, aware to some extent of Russia’s amazing cultural tradition. The St Petersburg exhibition that was held at the Art Gallery of Western Australia in 2005 was the most visited exhibition ever at the Art Gallery by a factor of two. The Russians have great interest in our art, particularly our Indigenous art, and other matters. I also had the privilege of visiting the studio in Tomsk of one of Russia’s finest wood sculptors, Leonty Yusev. Yusev exhibits in New York, Paris and London—in fact, all over the world—but not in Australia. The delegation was given a discussion by Yusev about his work. He is very keen to come to Western Australia. The opportunities that exist with Russia are endless. I anticipate that this trip will open up a whole new panorama of opportunities between Russia and the Western Australian economy that will deliver us great benefits.
The opportunities that exist with Russia are endless. I anticipate that this trip will open up a whole new panorama of opportunities between Russia and the Western Australian economy that will deliver us great benefits.
Mr A.J. CARPENTER replied: I thank the member for Kingsley for the question. When I was in Siberia, I was surprised by the nature of life in Siberia. It is very different from what I thought it would be. It is an incredible place and I encourage people to go there. It is a magnificent place. On Saturday, 26 April, after my visit to the Anzac sites in France and Belgium, which I mentioned in my brief ministerial statement, I led a trade and investment delegation to St Petersburg, Moscow and Tomsk. Tomsk is in western Siberia. The delegation consisted of the Chief Scientist, Professor Lyn Beazley; the Nobel Prize winner for medicine 2005, Professor Barry Marshall; and representatives of the Chamber of Minerals and Energy Western Australia, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Western Australia, Curtin University, the University of WA and the Western Australian Department of Industry and Resources. I was taken aback when I was informed by the Australian Ambassador to Russia that this delegation was the first official visit to Russia by not only a Western Australian Premier, but also an Australian politician of any rank, certainly of senior rank, for more than three years. No federal ministers have been to Russia for more than three years. It is quite incredible that such a circumstance should have occurred, and it needs to be addressed. The first thing that struck me about modern Russia is that its economy is strong and vibrant and its life is vibrant. The attitude and wealth can be seen on the streets, in the shops, on the roads and in the boardrooms. Russia is now the ninth-largest economy in the world and it is growing very rapidly. It is hungry for trade and investment opportunities with the rest of the world, including Australia. It is hungry for engagement with Australia. The trip included government-to-government meetings with the government of the Leningrad region, which surrounds St Petersburg, including with the Deputy Governor of St Petersburg and the Mayor of Moscow, who is one of the most senior people in Russia and is very interesting. I raised matters with him and he directed people to get on the telephone and investigate the matters as we spoke. I met also with the Governor of the Tomsk region, who visited Western Australia with a delegation last year when they were on their way to the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia and other senior colleagues. An amazing aspect of the trip was the meetings we had with senior business executives. We met with executives from the St Petersburg State Mining Institute, the Gipronickel Institute, Metalloinvest, Gazprom, the Russian Chamber of Commerce, and Norilsk Nickel. We also visited the Siberian State Medical University and the Tomsk Polytechnic University. At all these meetings, the feedback about our state was very positive. In Russia it is striking how youthful the senior executives in business are. The senior executives in government tend to be somewhat older. In business, they are the young firebrands of Russia. When I say young, people in their twenties are running companies such as Gazprom. It is incredible. The companies in Russia are keen to invest in Western Australia. I am not talking just about direct investment in our minerals and gas reserves. They also want our expertise, our knowledge, our skills and our technology to enable them to release the potential that is still to be released in Russia’s vast mining and resource industries and other aspects of its economy. There is great interest in our research and innovation capabilities. Professor Marshall, being a Nobel prize winner, was feted almost like a rock star wherever we went. That is very different from the somewhat relaxed attitude that we in Western Australia take towards people of his status. At every meeting, he was given huge attention, as was our senior scientist, Professor Beazley. At every meeting that we had we took the opportunity to promote the square kilometre array project. The member for Geraldton would have been heartened by the great level of interest in this project. When we told them that it is the biggest radioastronomy project in history, and one of the biggest science projects of all time, they immediately locked in. We received a very encouraging response from Russian administrators and scientists to this $2.5 billion project. I hope we can look forward to Russian support for our bid. The Minister for Culture and the Arts, and Tourism, asked me to make sure that we did not miss the opportunity to promote Western Australia for tourism. We did that. The Russians have a great curiosity about Australia. Australia is a country that not many Russians have visited. With the newfound wealth of Russian business and the Russian community, hundreds of thousands—probably millions—of Russians are now travelling abroad. They have a lot of money to spend. The Russians say that they are the biggest tourism spenders in the world. They are very keen to come to Australia. There is a great opportunity, minister, now that we have established these initial relationships, for that to take place. I would also like to see more cultural links established between Russia and Western Australia. We are, of course, aware to some extent of Russia’s amazing cultural tradition. The St Petersburg exhibition that was held at the Art Gallery of Western Australia in 2005 was the most visited exhibition ever at the Art Gallery by a factor of two. The Russians have great interest in our art, particularly our Indigenous art, and other matters. I also had the privilege of visiting the studio in Tomsk of one of Russia’s finest wood sculptors, Leonty Yusev. Yusev exhibits in New York, Paris and London—in fact, all over the world—but not in Australia. The delegation was given a discussion by Yusev about his work. He is very keen to come to Western Australia. The opportunities that exist with Russia are endless. I anticipate that this trip will open up a whole new panorama of opportunities between Russia and the Western Australian economy that will deliver us great benefits.
I thank the member for Kingsley for the question. When I was in Siberia, I was surprised by the nature of life in Siberia. It is very different from what I thought it would be. It is an incredible place and I encourage people to go there. It is a magnificent place. On Saturday, 26 April, after my visit to the Anzac sites in France and Belgium, which I mentioned in my brief ministerial statement, I led a trade and investment delegation to St Petersburg, Moscow and Tomsk. Tomsk is in western Siberia. The delegation consisted of the Chief Scientist, Professor Lyn Beazley; the Nobel Prize winner for medicine 2005, Professor Barry Marshall; and representatives of the Chamber of Minerals and Energy Western Australia, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Western Australia, Curtin University, the University of WA and the Western Australian Department of Industry and Resources. I was taken aback when I was informed by the Australian Ambassador to Russia that this delegation was the first official visit to Russia by not only a Western Australian Premier, but also an Australian politician of any rank, certainly of senior rank, for more than three years. No federal ministers have been to Russia for more than three years. It is quite incredible that such a circumstance should have occurred, and it needs to be addressed. The first thing that struck me about modern Russia is that its economy is strong and vibrant and its life is vibrant. The attitude and wealth can be seen on the streets, in the shops, on the roads and in the boardrooms. Russia is now the ninth-largest economy in the world and it is growing very rapidly. It is hungry for trade and investment opportunities with the rest of the world, including Australia. It is hungry for engagement with Australia. The trip included government-to-government meetings with the government of the Leningrad region, which surrounds St Petersburg, including with the Deputy Governor of St Petersburg and the Mayor of Moscow, who is one of the most senior people in Russia and is very interesting. I raised matters with him and he directed people to get on the telephone and investigate the matters as we spoke. I met also with the Governor of the Tomsk region, who visited Western Australia with a delegation last year when they were on their way to the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia and other senior colleagues. An amazing aspect of the trip was the meetings we had with senior business executives. We met with executives from the St Petersburg State Mining Institute, the Gipronickel Institute, Metalloinvest, Gazprom, the Russian Chamber of Commerce, and Norilsk Nickel. We also visited the Siberian State Medical University and the Tomsk Polytechnic University. At all these meetings, the feedback about our state was very positive. In Russia it is striking how youthful the senior executives in business are. The senior executives in government tend to be somewhat older. In business, they are the young firebrands of Russia. When I say young, people in their twenties are running companies such as Gazprom. It is incredible. The companies in Russia are keen to invest in Western Australia. I am not talking just about direct investment in our minerals and gas reserves. They also want our expertise, our knowledge, our skills and our technology to enable them to release the potential that is still to be released in Russia’s vast mining and resource industries and other aspects of its economy. There is great interest in our research and innovation capabilities. Professor Marshall, being a Nobel prize winner, was feted almost like a rock star wherever we went. That is very different from the somewhat relaxed attitude that we in Western Australia take towards people of his status. At every meeting, he was given huge attention, as was our senior scientist, Professor Beazley. At every meeting that we had we took the opportunity to promote the square kilometre array project. The member for Geraldton would have been heartened by the great level of interest in this project. When we told them that it is the biggest radioastronomy project in history, and one of the biggest science projects of all time, they immediately locked in. We received a very encouraging response from Russian administrators and scientists to this $2.5 billion project. I hope we can look forward to Russian support for our bid. The Minister for Culture and the Arts, and Tourism, asked me to make sure that we did not miss the opportunity to promote Western Australia for tourism. We did that. The Russians have a great curiosity about Australia. Australia is a country that not many Russians have visited. With the newfound wealth of Russian business and the Russian community, hundreds of thousands—probably millions—of Russians are now travelling abroad. They have a lot of money to spend. The Russians say that they are the biggest tourism spenders in the world. They are very keen to come to Australia. There is a great opportunity, minister, now that we have established these initial relationships, for that to take place. I would also like to see more cultural links established between Russia and Western Australia. We are, of course, aware to some extent of Russia’s amazing cultural tradition. The St Petersburg exhibition that was held at the Art Gallery of Western Australia in 2005 was the most visited exhibition ever at the Art Gallery by a factor of two. The Russians have great interest in our art, particularly our Indigenous art, and other matters. I also had the privilege of visiting the studio in Tomsk of one of Russia’s finest wood sculptors, Leonty Yusev. Yusev exhibits in New York, Paris and London—in fact, all over the world—but not in Australia. The delegation was given a discussion by Yusev about his work. He is very keen to come to Western Australia. The opportunities that exist with Russia are endless. I anticipate that this trip will open up a whole new panorama of opportunities between Russia and the Western Australian economy that will deliver us great benefits.
The first thing that struck me about modern Russia is that its economy is strong and vibrant and its life is vibrant. The attitude and wealth can be seen on the streets, in the shops, on the roads and in the boardrooms. Russia is now the ninth-largest economy in the world and it is growing very rapidly. It is hungry for trade and investment opportunities with the rest of the world, including Australia. It is hungry for engagement with Australia. The trip included government-to-government meetings with the government of the Leningrad region, which surrounds St Petersburg, including with the Deputy Governor of St Petersburg and the Mayor of Moscow, who is one of the most senior people in Russia and is very interesting. I raised matters with him and he directed people to get on the telephone and investigate the matters as we spoke. I met also with the Governor of the Tomsk region, who visited Western Australia with a delegation last year when they were on their way to the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia and other senior colleagues. An amazing aspect of the trip was the meetings we had with senior business executives. We met with executives from the St Petersburg State Mining Institute, the Gipronickel Institute, Metalloinvest, Gazprom, the Russian Chamber of Commerce, and Norilsk Nickel. We also visited the Siberian State Medical University and the Tomsk Polytechnic University. At all these meetings, the feedback about our state was very positive. In Russia it is striking how youthful the senior executives in business are. The senior executives in government tend to be somewhat older. In business, they are the young firebrands of Russia. When I say young, people in their twenties are running companies such as Gazprom. It is incredible. The companies in Russia are keen to invest in Western Australia. I am not talking just about direct investment in our minerals and gas reserves. They also want our expertise, our knowledge, our skills and our technology to enable them to release the potential that is still to be released in Russia’s vast mining and resource industries and other aspects of its economy. There is great interest in our research and innovation capabilities. Professor Marshall, being a Nobel prize winner, was feted almost like a rock star wherever we went. That is very different from the somewhat relaxed attitude that we in Western Australia take towards people of his status. At every meeting, he was given huge attention, as was our senior scientist, Professor Beazley. At every meeting that we had we took the opportunity to promote the square kilometre array project. The member for Geraldton would have been heartened by the great level of interest in this project. When we told them that it is the biggest radioastronomy project in history, and one of the biggest science projects of all time, they immediately locked in. We received a very encouraging response from Russian administrators and scientists to this $2.5 billion project. I hope we can look forward to Russian support for our bid. The Minister for Culture and the Arts, and Tourism, asked me to make sure that we did not miss the opportunity to promote Western Australia for tourism. We did that. The Russians have a great curiosity about Australia. Australia is a country that not many Russians have visited. With the newfound wealth of Russian business and the Russian community, hundreds of thousands—probably millions—of Russians are now travelling abroad. They have a lot of money to spend. The Russians say that they are the biggest tourism spenders in the world. They are very keen to come to Australia. There is a great opportunity, minister, now that we have established these initial relationships, for that to take place. I would also like to see more cultural links established between Russia and Western Australia. We are, of course, aware to some extent of Russia’s amazing cultural tradition. The St Petersburg exhibition that was held at the Art Gallery of Western Australia in 2005 was the most visited exhibition ever at the Art Gallery by a factor of two. The Russians have great interest in our art, particularly our Indigenous art, and other matters. I also had the privilege of visiting the studio in Tomsk of one of Russia’s finest wood sculptors, Leonty Yusev. Yusev exhibits in New York, Paris and London—in fact, all over the world—but not in Australia. The delegation was given a discussion by Yusev about his work. He is very keen to come to Western Australia. The opportunities that exist with Russia are endless. I anticipate that this trip will open up a whole new panorama of opportunities between Russia and the Western Australian economy that will deliver us great benefits.
At every meeting that we had we took the opportunity to promote the square kilometre array project. The member for Geraldton would have been heartened by the great level of interest in this project. When we told them that it is the biggest radioastronomy project in history, and one of the biggest science projects of all time, they immediately locked in. We received a very encouraging response from Russian administrators and scientists to this $2.5 billion project. I hope we can look forward to Russian support for our bid. The Minister for Culture and the Arts, and Tourism, asked me to make sure that we did not miss the opportunity to promote Western Australia for tourism. We did that. The Russians have a great curiosity about Australia. Australia is a country that not many Russians have visited. With the newfound wealth of Russian business and the Russian community, hundreds of thousands—probably millions—of Russians are now travelling abroad. They have a lot of money to spend. The Russians say that they are the biggest tourism spenders in the world. They are very keen to come to Australia. There is a great opportunity, minister, now that we have established these initial relationships, for that to take place. I would also like to see more cultural links established between Russia and Western Australia. We are, of course, aware to some extent of Russia’s amazing cultural tradition. The St Petersburg exhibition that was held at the Art Gallery of Western Australia in 2005 was the most visited exhibition ever at the Art Gallery by a factor of two. The Russians have great interest in our art, particularly our Indigenous art, and other matters. I also had the privilege of visiting the studio in Tomsk of one of Russia’s finest wood sculptors, Leonty Yusev. Yusev exhibits in New York, Paris and London—in fact, all over the world—but not in Australia. The delegation was given a discussion by Yusev about his work. He is very keen to come to Western Australia. The opportunities that exist with Russia are endless. I anticipate that this trip will open up a whole new panorama of opportunities between Russia and the Western Australian economy that will deliver us great benefits.
The Minister for Culture and the Arts, and Tourism, asked me to make sure that we did not miss the opportunity to promote Western Australia for tourism. We did that. The Russians have a great curiosity about Australia. Australia is a country that not many Russians have visited. With the newfound wealth of Russian business and the Russian community, hundreds of thousands—probably millions—of Russians are now travelling abroad. They have a lot of money to spend. The Russians say that they are the biggest tourism spenders in the world. They are very keen to come to Australia. There is a great opportunity, minister, now that we have established these initial relationships, for that to take place. I would also like to see more cultural links established between Russia and Western Australia. We are, of course, aware to some extent of Russia’s amazing cultural tradition. The St Petersburg exhibition that was held at the Art Gallery of Western Australia in 2005 was the most visited exhibition ever at the Art Gallery by a factor of two. The Russians have great interest in our art, particularly our Indigenous art, and other matters. I also had the privilege of visiting the studio in Tomsk of one of Russia’s finest wood sculptors, Leonty Yusev. Yusev exhibits in New York, Paris and London—in fact, all over the world—but not in Australia. The delegation was given a discussion by Yusev about his work. He is very keen to come to Western Australia. The opportunities that exist with Russia are endless. I anticipate that this trip will open up a whole new panorama of opportunities between Russia and the Western Australian economy that will deliver us great benefits.
The opportunities that exist with Russia are endless. I anticipate that this trip will open up a whole new panorama of opportunities between Russia and the Western Australian economy that will deliver us great benefits.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.