❓ A parliamentary question regarding Western Australia's trade relationship with Indonesia, specifically what steps the Liberal-National government is taking to enhance it. The Minister's answer highlights the importance of Indonesia as a market and outlines opportunities for growth in various sectors.
AnsweredQoN 101Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
INDONESIA — EXPORTS AND TRADE RELATIONSHIP
Before I ask my question of the minister, I acknowledge in the Speaker’s gallery the year 7 students of Ashdale Primary School, from the member for Wanneroo’s electorate. As the minister knows, Indonesia is Western Australia’s nearest international neighbour and an important market for our goods and services. I understand that $1.2 billion worth of exports were sent from Western Australia in 2009–10. Will the minister please outline some of the steps this Liberal–National government is taking to further enhance our trade relationship with Indonesia? Mr D.T. REDMAN
Before I ask my question of the minister, I acknowledge in the Speaker’s gallery the year 7 students of Ashdale Primary School, from the member for Wanneroo’s electorate. As the minister knows, Indonesia is Western Australia’s nearest international neighbour and an important market for our goods and services. I understand that $1.2 billion worth of exports were sent from Western Australia in 2009–10. Will the minister please outline some of the steps this Liberal–National government is taking to further enhance our trade relationship with Indonesia? Mr D.T. REDMAN
AnswerView source ↗
I thank very much the member for Kingsley for her interest in the factors that lead to long, steady and sustained growth in Western Australia. On Thursday last week I had the honour of welcoming Vice-President Boediono of Indonesia at a Committee for Economic Development of Australia breakfast. I found it interesting to note that he was a graduate of the University of Western Australia, which is my old stomping ground. In fact, he was the first Indonesian to graduate in, I think, the late 1960s, which is fantastic. I think his graduation was in the field of economics. I must say he was a very impressive man to talk to and to get a sense of where his country is going. I guess from our perspective it remains all the more important for us to build our relationship with Indonesia. He is currently driving economic reforms in Indonesia aimed at making Indonesia one of the world’s top 14 economies in the next four years, which is a significant challenge. In the past, we on both sides of the house have focused on China and clearly it has been a big target for our attention in terms of markets and so on. But we must not forget the opportunities that are immediately to the north of us in Indonesia, with a population of 240 million people. It is already a major market for Western Australia and its economy is developing significantly and, of course, that presents opportunities. It is interesting to read the vice-president’s speech. I recommend members read it. One key point he made was that Indonesia stands to benefit from the demographic dividend, as he highlights it, in terms of the youth of Indonesia’s population. He made the point that that is the opportunity Indonesia has. In the next 15 years it is looking at two million people coming into the workforce that it needs to put into highly productive and high-value jobs. That is a huge challenge. When the likes of two million people a year are going into those sorts of roles in the next 15 years, that will present a huge opportunity for Western Australia. Those opportunities will exist in mining, service industries, education, tourism and especially agriculture. The interest I have in this is that Indonesia accounted for 56 per cent of our agricultural exports in the past financial year. It was our biggest market at about $750 million last year and about $1 billion the previous year. Wheat took the lion’s share of that at $485 million; live exports, $144 million; and beef exports, $32 million. At my visit last year in April we also launched a new type of tempeh that was developed from Western Australian lupins. We have recently sent off the first container of dehulled split lupin kernels to try to develop that market. We also met with representatives of Bogasari Flour Mills. It operates two of the world’s largest flour mills; it is a significant operator. We highlighted that Western Australian wheat in fact can be developed to meet its end-use needs. Again, it is very similar to the situation I highlighted to the house in Saudi Arabia. The opportunity also exists in Indonesia with a significant market. If we can increase flour consumption by one kilogram per person, we are looking at 230 000 tonnes of wheat. Indonesia currently consumes about 16 kilograms of flour per person. That is a substantial market opportunity. This government is committed to break down trade barriers. We also want to develop new markets and foster trade relationships. To build a personal relationship with the Vice-President of Indonesia—I know the Deputy Premier also met with the vice-president—is but a part of the opportunity that this Liberal–National government is taking up with building relations with Indonesia. Clearly when we look at what the Vice-President of Indonesia is saying about the growth opportunities, the number of young people and the consequent demographic dividend, their vision presents a huge opportunity for Western Australia. We are so close to it, and we are going to get that benefit. This Liberal–National government is certainly committed to that end.
As the minister knows, Indonesia is Western Australia’s nearest international neighbour and an important market for our goods and services. I understand that $1.2 billion worth of exports were sent from Western Australia in 2009–10. Will the minister please outline some of the steps this Liberal–National government is taking to further enhance our trade relationship with Indonesia? Mr D.T. REDMAN replied: I thank very much the member for Kingsley for her interest in the factors that lead to long, steady and sustained growth in Western Australia. On Thursday last week I had the honour of welcoming Vice-President Boediono of Indonesia at a Committee for Economic Development of Australia breakfast. I found it interesting to note that he was a graduate of the University of Western Australia, which is my old stomping ground. In fact, he was the first Indonesian to graduate in, I think, the late 1960s, which is fantastic. I think his graduation was in the field of economics. I must say he was a very impressive man to talk to and to get a sense of where his country is going. I guess from our perspective it remains all the more important for us to build our relationship with Indonesia. He is currently driving economic reforms in Indonesia aimed at making Indonesia one of the world’s top 14 economies in the next four years, which is a significant challenge. In the past, we on both sides of the house have focused on China and clearly it has been a big target for our attention in terms of markets and so on. But we must not forget the opportunities that are immediately to the north of us in Indonesia, with a population of 240 million people. It is already a major market for Western Australia and its economy is developing significantly and, of course, that presents opportunities. It is interesting to read the vice-president’s speech. I recommend members read it. One key point he made was that Indonesia stands to benefit from the demographic dividend, as he highlights it, in terms of the youth of Indonesia’s population. He made the point that that is the opportunity Indonesia has. In the next 15 years it is looking at two million people coming into the workforce that it needs to put into highly productive and high-value jobs. That is a huge challenge. When the likes of two million people a year are going into those sorts of roles in the next 15 years, that will present a huge opportunity for Western Australia. Those opportunities will exist in mining, service industries, education, tourism and especially agriculture. The interest I have in this is that Indonesia accounted for 56 per cent of our agricultural exports in the past financial year. It was our biggest market at about $750 million last year and about $1 billion the previous year. Wheat took the lion’s share of that at $485 million; live exports, $144 million; and beef exports, $32 million. At my visit last year in April we also launched a new type of tempeh that was developed from Western Australian lupins. We have recently sent off the first container of dehulled split lupin kernels to try to develop that market. We also met with representatives of Bogasari Flour Mills. It operates two of the world’s largest flour mills; it is a significant operator. We highlighted that Western Australian wheat in fact can be developed to meet its end-use needs. Again, it is very similar to the situation I highlighted to the house in Saudi Arabia. The opportunity also exists in Indonesia with a significant market. If we can increase flour consumption by one kilogram per person, we are looking at 230 000 tonnes of wheat. Indonesia currently consumes about 16 kilograms of flour per person. That is a substantial market opportunity. This government is committed to break down trade barriers. We also want to develop new markets and foster trade relationships. To build a personal relationship with the Vice-President of Indonesia—I know the Deputy Premier also met with the vice-president—is but a part of the opportunity that this Liberal–National government is taking up with building relations with Indonesia. Clearly when we look at what the Vice-President of Indonesia is saying about the growth opportunities, the number of young people and the consequent demographic dividend, their vision presents a huge opportunity for Western Australia. We are so close to it, and we are going to get that benefit. This Liberal–National government is certainly committed to that end.
Mr D.T. REDMAN replied: I thank very much the member for Kingsley for her interest in the factors that lead to long, steady and sustained growth in Western Australia. On Thursday last week I had the honour of welcoming Vice-President Boediono of Indonesia at a Committee for Economic Development of Australia breakfast. I found it interesting to note that he was a graduate of the University of Western Australia, which is my old stomping ground. In fact, he was the first Indonesian to graduate in, I think, the late 1960s, which is fantastic. I think his graduation was in the field of economics. I must say he was a very impressive man to talk to and to get a sense of where his country is going. I guess from our perspective it remains all the more important for us to build our relationship with Indonesia. He is currently driving economic reforms in Indonesia aimed at making Indonesia one of the world’s top 14 economies in the next four years, which is a significant challenge. In the past, we on both sides of the house have focused on China and clearly it has been a big target for our attention in terms of markets and so on. But we must not forget the opportunities that are immediately to the north of us in Indonesia, with a population of 240 million people. It is already a major market for Western Australia and its economy is developing significantly and, of course, that presents opportunities. It is interesting to read the vice-president’s speech. I recommend members read it. One key point he made was that Indonesia stands to benefit from the demographic dividend, as he highlights it, in terms of the youth of Indonesia’s population. He made the point that that is the opportunity Indonesia has. In the next 15 years it is looking at two million people coming into the workforce that it needs to put into highly productive and high-value jobs. That is a huge challenge. When the likes of two million people a year are going into those sorts of roles in the next 15 years, that will present a huge opportunity for Western Australia. Those opportunities will exist in mining, service industries, education, tourism and especially agriculture. The interest I have in this is that Indonesia accounted for 56 per cent of our agricultural exports in the past financial year. It was our biggest market at about $750 million last year and about $1 billion the previous year. Wheat took the lion’s share of that at $485 million; live exports, $144 million; and beef exports, $32 million. At my visit last year in April we also launched a new type of tempeh that was developed from Western Australian lupins. We have recently sent off the first container of dehulled split lupin kernels to try to develop that market. We also met with representatives of Bogasari Flour Mills. It operates two of the world’s largest flour mills; it is a significant operator. We highlighted that Western Australian wheat in fact can be developed to meet its end-use needs. Again, it is very similar to the situation I highlighted to the house in Saudi Arabia. The opportunity also exists in Indonesia with a significant market. If we can increase flour consumption by one kilogram per person, we are looking at 230 000 tonnes of wheat. Indonesia currently consumes about 16 kilograms of flour per person. That is a substantial market opportunity. This government is committed to break down trade barriers. We also want to develop new markets and foster trade relationships. To build a personal relationship with the Vice-President of Indonesia—I know the Deputy Premier also met with the vice-president—is but a part of the opportunity that this Liberal–National government is taking up with building relations with Indonesia. Clearly when we look at what the Vice-President of Indonesia is saying about the growth opportunities, the number of young people and the consequent demographic dividend, their vision presents a huge opportunity for Western Australia. We are so close to it, and we are going to get that benefit. This Liberal–National government is certainly committed to that end.
I thank very much the member for Kingsley for her interest in the factors that lead to long, steady and sustained growth in Western Australia. On Thursday last week I had the honour of welcoming Vice-President Boediono of Indonesia at a Committee for Economic Development of Australia breakfast. I found it interesting to note that he was a graduate of the University of Western Australia, which is my old stomping ground. In fact, he was the first Indonesian to graduate in, I think, the late 1960s, which is fantastic. I think his graduation was in the field of economics. I must say he was a very impressive man to talk to and to get a sense of where his country is going. I guess from our perspective it remains all the more important for us to build our relationship with Indonesia. He is currently driving economic reforms in Indonesia aimed at making Indonesia one of the world’s top 14 economies in the next four years, which is a significant challenge. In the past, we on both sides of the house have focused on China and clearly it has been a big target for our attention in terms of markets and so on. But we must not forget the opportunities that are immediately to the north of us in Indonesia, with a population of 240 million people. It is already a major market for Western Australia and its economy is developing significantly and, of course, that presents opportunities. It is interesting to read the vice-president’s speech. I recommend members read it. One key point he made was that Indonesia stands to benefit from the demographic dividend, as he highlights it, in terms of the youth of Indonesia’s population. He made the point that that is the opportunity Indonesia has. In the next 15 years it is looking at two million people coming into the workforce that it needs to put into highly productive and high-value jobs. That is a huge challenge. When the likes of two million people a year are going into those sorts of roles in the next 15 years, that will present a huge opportunity for Western Australia. Those opportunities will exist in mining, service industries, education, tourism and especially agriculture. The interest I have in this is that Indonesia accounted for 56 per cent of our agricultural exports in the past financial year. It was our biggest market at about $750 million last year and about $1 billion the previous year. Wheat took the lion’s share of that at $485 million; live exports, $144 million; and beef exports, $32 million. At my visit last year in April we also launched a new type of tempeh that was developed from Western Australian lupins. We have recently sent off the first container of dehulled split lupin kernels to try to develop that market. We also met with representatives of Bogasari Flour Mills. It operates two of the world’s largest flour mills; it is a significant operator. We highlighted that Western Australian wheat in fact can be developed to meet its end-use needs. Again, it is very similar to the situation I highlighted to the house in Saudi Arabia. The opportunity also exists in Indonesia with a significant market. If we can increase flour consumption by one kilogram per person, we are looking at 230 000 tonnes of wheat. Indonesia currently consumes about 16 kilograms of flour per person. That is a substantial market opportunity. This government is committed to break down trade barriers. We also want to develop new markets and foster trade relationships. To build a personal relationship with the Vice-President of Indonesia—I know the Deputy Premier also met with the vice-president—is but a part of the opportunity that this Liberal–National government is taking up with building relations with Indonesia. Clearly when we look at what the Vice-President of Indonesia is saying about the growth opportunities, the number of young people and the consequent demographic dividend, their vision presents a huge opportunity for Western Australia. We are so close to it, and we are going to get that benefit. This Liberal–National government is certainly committed to that end.
On Thursday last week I had the honour of welcoming Vice-President Boediono of Indonesia at a Committee for Economic Development of Australia breakfast. I found it interesting to note that he was a graduate of the University of Western Australia, which is my old stomping ground. In fact, he was the first Indonesian to graduate in, I think, the late 1960s, which is fantastic. I think his graduation was in the field of economics. I must say he was a very impressive man to talk to and to get a sense of where his country is going. I guess from our perspective it remains all the more important for us to build our relationship with Indonesia. He is currently driving economic reforms in Indonesia aimed at making Indonesia one of the world’s top 14 economies in the next four years, which is a significant challenge. In the past, we on both sides of the house have focused on China and clearly it has been a big target for our attention in terms of markets and so on. But we must not forget the opportunities that are immediately to the north of us in Indonesia, with a population of 240 million people. It is already a major market for Western Australia and its economy is developing significantly and, of course, that presents opportunities. It is interesting to read the vice-president’s speech. I recommend members read it. One key point he made was that Indonesia stands to benefit from the demographic dividend, as he highlights it, in terms of the youth of Indonesia’s population. He made the point that that is the opportunity Indonesia has. In the next 15 years it is looking at two million people coming into the workforce that it needs to put into highly productive and high-value jobs. That is a huge challenge. When the likes of two million people a year are going into those sorts of roles in the next 15 years, that will present a huge opportunity for Western Australia. Those opportunities will exist in mining, service industries, education, tourism and especially agriculture. The interest I have in this is that Indonesia accounted for 56 per cent of our agricultural exports in the past financial year. It was our biggest market at about $750 million last year and about $1 billion the previous year. Wheat took the lion’s share of that at $485 million; live exports, $144 million; and beef exports, $32 million. At my visit last year in April we also launched a new type of tempeh that was developed from Western Australian lupins. We have recently sent off the first container of dehulled split lupin kernels to try to develop that market. We also met with representatives of Bogasari Flour Mills. It operates two of the world’s largest flour mills; it is a significant operator. We highlighted that Western Australian wheat in fact can be developed to meet its end-use needs. Again, it is very similar to the situation I highlighted to the house in Saudi Arabia. The opportunity also exists in Indonesia with a significant market. If we can increase flour consumption by one kilogram per person, we are looking at 230 000 tonnes of wheat. Indonesia currently consumes about 16 kilograms of flour per person. That is a substantial market opportunity. This government is committed to break down trade barriers. We also want to develop new markets and foster trade relationships. To build a personal relationship with the Vice-President of Indonesia—I know the Deputy Premier also met with the vice-president—is but a part of the opportunity that this Liberal–National government is taking up with building relations with Indonesia. Clearly when we look at what the Vice-President of Indonesia is saying about the growth opportunities, the number of young people and the consequent demographic dividend, their vision presents a huge opportunity for Western Australia. We are so close to it, and we are going to get that benefit. This Liberal–National government is certainly committed to that end.
In the past, we on both sides of the house have focused on China and clearly it has been a big target for our attention in terms of markets and so on. But we must not forget the opportunities that are immediately to the north of us in Indonesia, with a population of 240 million people. It is already a major market for Western Australia and its economy is developing significantly and, of course, that presents opportunities. It is interesting to read the vice-president’s speech. I recommend members read it. One key point he made was that Indonesia stands to benefit from the demographic dividend, as he highlights it, in terms of the youth of Indonesia’s population. He made the point that that is the opportunity Indonesia has. In the next 15 years it is looking at two million people coming into the workforce that it needs to put into highly productive and high-value jobs. That is a huge challenge. When the likes of two million people a year are going into those sorts of roles in the next 15 years, that will present a huge opportunity for Western Australia. Those opportunities will exist in mining, service industries, education, tourism and especially agriculture. The interest I have in this is that Indonesia accounted for 56 per cent of our agricultural exports in the past financial year. It was our biggest market at about $750 million last year and about $1 billion the previous year. Wheat took the lion’s share of that at $485 million; live exports, $144 million; and beef exports, $32 million. At my visit last year in April we also launched a new type of tempeh that was developed from Western Australian lupins. We have recently sent off the first container of dehulled split lupin kernels to try to develop that market. We also met with representatives of Bogasari Flour Mills. It operates two of the world’s largest flour mills; it is a significant operator. We highlighted that Western Australian wheat in fact can be developed to meet its end-use needs. Again, it is very similar to the situation I highlighted to the house in Saudi Arabia. The opportunity also exists in Indonesia with a significant market. If we can increase flour consumption by one kilogram per person, we are looking at 230 000 tonnes of wheat. Indonesia currently consumes about 16 kilograms of flour per person. That is a substantial market opportunity. This government is committed to break down trade barriers. We also want to develop new markets and foster trade relationships. To build a personal relationship with the Vice-President of Indonesia—I know the Deputy Premier also met with the vice-president—is but a part of the opportunity that this Liberal–National government is taking up with building relations with Indonesia. Clearly when we look at what the Vice-President of Indonesia is saying about the growth opportunities, the number of young people and the consequent demographic dividend, their vision presents a huge opportunity for Western Australia. We are so close to it, and we are going to get that benefit. This Liberal–National government is certainly committed to that end.
It is interesting to read the vice-president’s speech. I recommend members read it. One key point he made was that Indonesia stands to benefit from the demographic dividend, as he highlights it, in terms of the youth of Indonesia’s population. He made the point that that is the opportunity Indonesia has. In the next 15 years it is looking at two million people coming into the workforce that it needs to put into highly productive and high-value jobs. That is a huge challenge. When the likes of two million people a year are going into those sorts of roles in the next 15 years, that will present a huge opportunity for Western Australia. Those opportunities will exist in mining, service industries, education, tourism and especially agriculture. The interest I have in this is that Indonesia accounted for 56 per cent of our agricultural exports in the past financial year. It was our biggest market at about $750 million last year and about $1 billion the previous year. Wheat took the lion’s share of that at $485 million; live exports, $144 million; and beef exports, $32 million. At my visit last year in April we also launched a new type of tempeh that was developed from Western Australian lupins. We have recently sent off the first container of dehulled split lupin kernels to try to develop that market. We also met with representatives of Bogasari Flour Mills. It operates two of the world’s largest flour mills; it is a significant operator. We highlighted that Western Australian wheat in fact can be developed to meet its end-use needs. Again, it is very similar to the situation I highlighted to the house in Saudi Arabia. The opportunity also exists in Indonesia with a significant market. If we can increase flour consumption by one kilogram per person, we are looking at 230 000 tonnes of wheat. Indonesia currently consumes about 16 kilograms of flour per person. That is a substantial market opportunity. This government is committed to break down trade barriers. We also want to develop new markets and foster trade relationships. To build a personal relationship with the Vice-President of Indonesia—I know the Deputy Premier also met with the vice-president—is but a part of the opportunity that this Liberal–National government is taking up with building relations with Indonesia. Clearly when we look at what the Vice-President of Indonesia is saying about the growth opportunities, the number of young people and the consequent demographic dividend, their vision presents a huge opportunity for Western Australia. We are so close to it, and we are going to get that benefit. This Liberal–National government is certainly committed to that end.
At my visit last year in April we also launched a new type of tempeh that was developed from Western Australian lupins. We have recently sent off the first container of dehulled split lupin kernels to try to develop that market. We also met with representatives of Bogasari Flour Mills. It operates two of the world’s largest flour mills; it is a significant operator. We highlighted that Western Australian wheat in fact can be developed to meet its end-use needs. Again, it is very similar to the situation I highlighted to the house in Saudi Arabia. The opportunity also exists in Indonesia with a significant market. If we can increase flour consumption by one kilogram per person, we are looking at 230 000 tonnes of wheat. Indonesia currently consumes about 16 kilograms of flour per person. That is a substantial market opportunity. This government is committed to break down trade barriers. We also want to develop new markets and foster trade relationships. To build a personal relationship with the Vice-President of Indonesia—I know the Deputy Premier also met with the vice-president—is but a part of the opportunity that this Liberal–National government is taking up with building relations with Indonesia. Clearly when we look at what the Vice-President of Indonesia is saying about the growth opportunities, the number of young people and the consequent demographic dividend, their vision presents a huge opportunity for Western Australia. We are so close to it, and we are going to get that benefit. This Liberal–National government is certainly committed to that end.
As the minister knows, Indonesia is Western Australia’s nearest international neighbour and an important market for our goods and services. I understand that $1.2 billion worth of exports were sent from Western Australia in 2009–10. Will the minister please outline some of the steps this Liberal–National government is taking to further enhance our trade relationship with Indonesia? Mr D.T. REDMAN replied: I thank very much the member for Kingsley for her interest in the factors that lead to long, steady and sustained growth in Western Australia. On Thursday last week I had the honour of welcoming Vice-President Boediono of Indonesia at a Committee for Economic Development of Australia breakfast. I found it interesting to note that he was a graduate of the University of Western Australia, which is my old stomping ground. In fact, he was the first Indonesian to graduate in, I think, the late 1960s, which is fantastic. I think his graduation was in the field of economics. I must say he was a very impressive man to talk to and to get a sense of where his country is going. I guess from our perspective it remains all the more important for us to build our relationship with Indonesia. He is currently driving economic reforms in Indonesia aimed at making Indonesia one of the world’s top 14 economies in the next four years, which is a significant challenge. In the past, we on both sides of the house have focused on China and clearly it has been a big target for our attention in terms of markets and so on. But we must not forget the opportunities that are immediately to the north of us in Indonesia, with a population of 240 million people. It is already a major market for Western Australia and its economy is developing significantly and, of course, that presents opportunities. It is interesting to read the vice-president’s speech. I recommend members read it. One key point he made was that Indonesia stands to benefit from the demographic dividend, as he highlights it, in terms of the youth of Indonesia’s population. He made the point that that is the opportunity Indonesia has. In the next 15 years it is looking at two million people coming into the workforce that it needs to put into highly productive and high-value jobs. That is a huge challenge. When the likes of two million people a year are going into those sorts of roles in the next 15 years, that will present a huge opportunity for Western Australia. Those opportunities will exist in mining, service industries, education, tourism and especially agriculture. The interest I have in this is that Indonesia accounted for 56 per cent of our agricultural exports in the past financial year. It was our biggest market at about $750 million last year and about $1 billion the previous year. Wheat took the lion’s share of that at $485 million; live exports, $144 million; and beef exports, $32 million. At my visit last year in April we also launched a new type of tempeh that was developed from Western Australian lupins. We have recently sent off the first container of dehulled split lupin kernels to try to develop that market. We also met with representatives of Bogasari Flour Mills. It operates two of the world’s largest flour mills; it is a significant operator. We highlighted that Western Australian wheat in fact can be developed to meet its end-use needs. Again, it is very similar to the situation I highlighted to the house in Saudi Arabia. The opportunity also exists in Indonesia with a significant market. If we can increase flour consumption by one kilogram per person, we are looking at 230 000 tonnes of wheat. Indonesia currently consumes about 16 kilograms of flour per person. That is a substantial market opportunity. This government is committed to break down trade barriers. We also want to develop new markets and foster trade relationships. To build a personal relationship with the Vice-President of Indonesia—I know the Deputy Premier also met with the vice-president—is but a part of the opportunity that this Liberal–National government is taking up with building relations with Indonesia. Clearly when we look at what the Vice-President of Indonesia is saying about the growth opportunities, the number of young people and the consequent demographic dividend, their vision presents a huge opportunity for Western Australia. We are so close to it, and we are going to get that benefit. This Liberal–National government is certainly committed to that end.
Mr D.T. REDMAN replied: I thank very much the member for Kingsley for her interest in the factors that lead to long, steady and sustained growth in Western Australia. On Thursday last week I had the honour of welcoming Vice-President Boediono of Indonesia at a Committee for Economic Development of Australia breakfast. I found it interesting to note that he was a graduate of the University of Western Australia, which is my old stomping ground. In fact, he was the first Indonesian to graduate in, I think, the late 1960s, which is fantastic. I think his graduation was in the field of economics. I must say he was a very impressive man to talk to and to get a sense of where his country is going. I guess from our perspective it remains all the more important for us to build our relationship with Indonesia. He is currently driving economic reforms in Indonesia aimed at making Indonesia one of the world’s top 14 economies in the next four years, which is a significant challenge. In the past, we on both sides of the house have focused on China and clearly it has been a big target for our attention in terms of markets and so on. But we must not forget the opportunities that are immediately to the north of us in Indonesia, with a population of 240 million people. It is already a major market for Western Australia and its economy is developing significantly and, of course, that presents opportunities. It is interesting to read the vice-president’s speech. I recommend members read it. One key point he made was that Indonesia stands to benefit from the demographic dividend, as he highlights it, in terms of the youth of Indonesia’s population. He made the point that that is the opportunity Indonesia has. In the next 15 years it is looking at two million people coming into the workforce that it needs to put into highly productive and high-value jobs. That is a huge challenge. When the likes of two million people a year are going into those sorts of roles in the next 15 years, that will present a huge opportunity for Western Australia. Those opportunities will exist in mining, service industries, education, tourism and especially agriculture. The interest I have in this is that Indonesia accounted for 56 per cent of our agricultural exports in the past financial year. It was our biggest market at about $750 million last year and about $1 billion the previous year. Wheat took the lion’s share of that at $485 million; live exports, $144 million; and beef exports, $32 million. At my visit last year in April we also launched a new type of tempeh that was developed from Western Australian lupins. We have recently sent off the first container of dehulled split lupin kernels to try to develop that market. We also met with representatives of Bogasari Flour Mills. It operates two of the world’s largest flour mills; it is a significant operator. We highlighted that Western Australian wheat in fact can be developed to meet its end-use needs. Again, it is very similar to the situation I highlighted to the house in Saudi Arabia. The opportunity also exists in Indonesia with a significant market. If we can increase flour consumption by one kilogram per person, we are looking at 230 000 tonnes of wheat. Indonesia currently consumes about 16 kilograms of flour per person. That is a substantial market opportunity. This government is committed to break down trade barriers. We also want to develop new markets and foster trade relationships. To build a personal relationship with the Vice-President of Indonesia—I know the Deputy Premier also met with the vice-president—is but a part of the opportunity that this Liberal–National government is taking up with building relations with Indonesia. Clearly when we look at what the Vice-President of Indonesia is saying about the growth opportunities, the number of young people and the consequent demographic dividend, their vision presents a huge opportunity for Western Australia. We are so close to it, and we are going to get that benefit. This Liberal–National government is certainly committed to that end.
I thank very much the member for Kingsley for her interest in the factors that lead to long, steady and sustained growth in Western Australia. On Thursday last week I had the honour of welcoming Vice-President Boediono of Indonesia at a Committee for Economic Development of Australia breakfast. I found it interesting to note that he was a graduate of the University of Western Australia, which is my old stomping ground. In fact, he was the first Indonesian to graduate in, I think, the late 1960s, which is fantastic. I think his graduation was in the field of economics. I must say he was a very impressive man to talk to and to get a sense of where his country is going. I guess from our perspective it remains all the more important for us to build our relationship with Indonesia. He is currently driving economic reforms in Indonesia aimed at making Indonesia one of the world’s top 14 economies in the next four years, which is a significant challenge. In the past, we on both sides of the house have focused on China and clearly it has been a big target for our attention in terms of markets and so on. But we must not forget the opportunities that are immediately to the north of us in Indonesia, with a population of 240 million people. It is already a major market for Western Australia and its economy is developing significantly and, of course, that presents opportunities. It is interesting to read the vice-president’s speech. I recommend members read it. One key point he made was that Indonesia stands to benefit from the demographic dividend, as he highlights it, in terms of the youth of Indonesia’s population. He made the point that that is the opportunity Indonesia has. In the next 15 years it is looking at two million people coming into the workforce that it needs to put into highly productive and high-value jobs. That is a huge challenge. When the likes of two million people a year are going into those sorts of roles in the next 15 years, that will present a huge opportunity for Western Australia. Those opportunities will exist in mining, service industries, education, tourism and especially agriculture. The interest I have in this is that Indonesia accounted for 56 per cent of our agricultural exports in the past financial year. It was our biggest market at about $750 million last year and about $1 billion the previous year. Wheat took the lion’s share of that at $485 million; live exports, $144 million; and beef exports, $32 million. At my visit last year in April we also launched a new type of tempeh that was developed from Western Australian lupins. We have recently sent off the first container of dehulled split lupin kernels to try to develop that market. We also met with representatives of Bogasari Flour Mills. It operates two of the world’s largest flour mills; it is a significant operator. We highlighted that Western Australian wheat in fact can be developed to meet its end-use needs. Again, it is very similar to the situation I highlighted to the house in Saudi Arabia. The opportunity also exists in Indonesia with a significant market. If we can increase flour consumption by one kilogram per person, we are looking at 230 000 tonnes of wheat. Indonesia currently consumes about 16 kilograms of flour per person. That is a substantial market opportunity. This government is committed to break down trade barriers. We also want to develop new markets and foster trade relationships. To build a personal relationship with the Vice-President of Indonesia—I know the Deputy Premier also met with the vice-president—is but a part of the opportunity that this Liberal–National government is taking up with building relations with Indonesia. Clearly when we look at what the Vice-President of Indonesia is saying about the growth opportunities, the number of young people and the consequent demographic dividend, their vision presents a huge opportunity for Western Australia. We are so close to it, and we are going to get that benefit. This Liberal–National government is certainly committed to that end.
On Thursday last week I had the honour of welcoming Vice-President Boediono of Indonesia at a Committee for Economic Development of Australia breakfast. I found it interesting to note that he was a graduate of the University of Western Australia, which is my old stomping ground. In fact, he was the first Indonesian to graduate in, I think, the late 1960s, which is fantastic. I think his graduation was in the field of economics. I must say he was a very impressive man to talk to and to get a sense of where his country is going. I guess from our perspective it remains all the more important for us to build our relationship with Indonesia. He is currently driving economic reforms in Indonesia aimed at making Indonesia one of the world’s top 14 economies in the next four years, which is a significant challenge. In the past, we on both sides of the house have focused on China and clearly it has been a big target for our attention in terms of markets and so on. But we must not forget the opportunities that are immediately to the north of us in Indonesia, with a population of 240 million people. It is already a major market for Western Australia and its economy is developing significantly and, of course, that presents opportunities. It is interesting to read the vice-president’s speech. I recommend members read it. One key point he made was that Indonesia stands to benefit from the demographic dividend, as he highlights it, in terms of the youth of Indonesia’s population. He made the point that that is the opportunity Indonesia has. In the next 15 years it is looking at two million people coming into the workforce that it needs to put into highly productive and high-value jobs. That is a huge challenge. When the likes of two million people a year are going into those sorts of roles in the next 15 years, that will present a huge opportunity for Western Australia. Those opportunities will exist in mining, service industries, education, tourism and especially agriculture. The interest I have in this is that Indonesia accounted for 56 per cent of our agricultural exports in the past financial year. It was our biggest market at about $750 million last year and about $1 billion the previous year. Wheat took the lion’s share of that at $485 million; live exports, $144 million; and beef exports, $32 million. At my visit last year in April we also launched a new type of tempeh that was developed from Western Australian lupins. We have recently sent off the first container of dehulled split lupin kernels to try to develop that market. We also met with representatives of Bogasari Flour Mills. It operates two of the world’s largest flour mills; it is a significant operator. We highlighted that Western Australian wheat in fact can be developed to meet its end-use needs. Again, it is very similar to the situation I highlighted to the house in Saudi Arabia. The opportunity also exists in Indonesia with a significant market. If we can increase flour consumption by one kilogram per person, we are looking at 230 000 tonnes of wheat. Indonesia currently consumes about 16 kilograms of flour per person. That is a substantial market opportunity. This government is committed to break down trade barriers. We also want to develop new markets and foster trade relationships. To build a personal relationship with the Vice-President of Indonesia—I know the Deputy Premier also met with the vice-president—is but a part of the opportunity that this Liberal–National government is taking up with building relations with Indonesia. Clearly when we look at what the Vice-President of Indonesia is saying about the growth opportunities, the number of young people and the consequent demographic dividend, their vision presents a huge opportunity for Western Australia. We are so close to it, and we are going to get that benefit. This Liberal–National government is certainly committed to that end.
In the past, we on both sides of the house have focused on China and clearly it has been a big target for our attention in terms of markets and so on. But we must not forget the opportunities that are immediately to the north of us in Indonesia, with a population of 240 million people. It is already a major market for Western Australia and its economy is developing significantly and, of course, that presents opportunities. It is interesting to read the vice-president’s speech. I recommend members read it. One key point he made was that Indonesia stands to benefit from the demographic dividend, as he highlights it, in terms of the youth of Indonesia’s population. He made the point that that is the opportunity Indonesia has. In the next 15 years it is looking at two million people coming into the workforce that it needs to put into highly productive and high-value jobs. That is a huge challenge. When the likes of two million people a year are going into those sorts of roles in the next 15 years, that will present a huge opportunity for Western Australia. Those opportunities will exist in mining, service industries, education, tourism and especially agriculture. The interest I have in this is that Indonesia accounted for 56 per cent of our agricultural exports in the past financial year. It was our biggest market at about $750 million last year and about $1 billion the previous year. Wheat took the lion’s share of that at $485 million; live exports, $144 million; and beef exports, $32 million. At my visit last year in April we also launched a new type of tempeh that was developed from Western Australian lupins. We have recently sent off the first container of dehulled split lupin kernels to try to develop that market. We also met with representatives of Bogasari Flour Mills. It operates two of the world’s largest flour mills; it is a significant operator. We highlighted that Western Australian wheat in fact can be developed to meet its end-use needs. Again, it is very similar to the situation I highlighted to the house in Saudi Arabia. The opportunity also exists in Indonesia with a significant market. If we can increase flour consumption by one kilogram per person, we are looking at 230 000 tonnes of wheat. Indonesia currently consumes about 16 kilograms of flour per person. That is a substantial market opportunity. This government is committed to break down trade barriers. We also want to develop new markets and foster trade relationships. To build a personal relationship with the Vice-President of Indonesia—I know the Deputy Premier also met with the vice-president—is but a part of the opportunity that this Liberal–National government is taking up with building relations with Indonesia. Clearly when we look at what the Vice-President of Indonesia is saying about the growth opportunities, the number of young people and the consequent demographic dividend, their vision presents a huge opportunity for Western Australia. We are so close to it, and we are going to get that benefit. This Liberal–National government is certainly committed to that end.
It is interesting to read the vice-president’s speech. I recommend members read it. One key point he made was that Indonesia stands to benefit from the demographic dividend, as he highlights it, in terms of the youth of Indonesia’s population. He made the point that that is the opportunity Indonesia has. In the next 15 years it is looking at two million people coming into the workforce that it needs to put into highly productive and high-value jobs. That is a huge challenge. When the likes of two million people a year are going into those sorts of roles in the next 15 years, that will present a huge opportunity for Western Australia. Those opportunities will exist in mining, service industries, education, tourism and especially agriculture. The interest I have in this is that Indonesia accounted for 56 per cent of our agricultural exports in the past financial year. It was our biggest market at about $750 million last year and about $1 billion the previous year. Wheat took the lion’s share of that at $485 million; live exports, $144 million; and beef exports, $32 million. At my visit last year in April we also launched a new type of tempeh that was developed from Western Australian lupins. We have recently sent off the first container of dehulled split lupin kernels to try to develop that market. We also met with representatives of Bogasari Flour Mills. It operates two of the world’s largest flour mills; it is a significant operator. We highlighted that Western Australian wheat in fact can be developed to meet its end-use needs. Again, it is very similar to the situation I highlighted to the house in Saudi Arabia. The opportunity also exists in Indonesia with a significant market. If we can increase flour consumption by one kilogram per person, we are looking at 230 000 tonnes of wheat. Indonesia currently consumes about 16 kilograms of flour per person. That is a substantial market opportunity. This government is committed to break down trade barriers. We also want to develop new markets and foster trade relationships. To build a personal relationship with the Vice-President of Indonesia—I know the Deputy Premier also met with the vice-president—is but a part of the opportunity that this Liberal–National government is taking up with building relations with Indonesia. Clearly when we look at what the Vice-President of Indonesia is saying about the growth opportunities, the number of young people and the consequent demographic dividend, their vision presents a huge opportunity for Western Australia. We are so close to it, and we are going to get that benefit. This Liberal–National government is certainly committed to that end.
At my visit last year in April we also launched a new type of tempeh that was developed from Western Australian lupins. We have recently sent off the first container of dehulled split lupin kernels to try to develop that market. We also met with representatives of Bogasari Flour Mills. It operates two of the world’s largest flour mills; it is a significant operator. We highlighted that Western Australian wheat in fact can be developed to meet its end-use needs. Again, it is very similar to the situation I highlighted to the house in Saudi Arabia. The opportunity also exists in Indonesia with a significant market. If we can increase flour consumption by one kilogram per person, we are looking at 230 000 tonnes of wheat. Indonesia currently consumes about 16 kilograms of flour per person. That is a substantial market opportunity. This government is committed to break down trade barriers. We also want to develop new markets and foster trade relationships. To build a personal relationship with the Vice-President of Indonesia—I know the Deputy Premier also met with the vice-president—is but a part of the opportunity that this Liberal–National government is taking up with building relations with Indonesia. Clearly when we look at what the Vice-President of Indonesia is saying about the growth opportunities, the number of young people and the consequent demographic dividend, their vision presents a huge opportunity for Western Australia. We are so close to it, and we are going to get that benefit. This Liberal–National government is certainly committed to that end.
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