Full transcript - Final - Queensland Parliament - Queensland ...

354 Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition (Queensland) Bill 9 Mar 1999
has held up—not as well as we would like, but
it has held up.
Sure, there are some problems in
Indonesia, but we have a particular
responsibility as well as a particular relationship
with Indonesia which means that we have to
do what we can to develop those trading
partners. Thiess Contractors are there in a big
way. So is Telstra. There are a large number of
Australian investors in Indonesia and they
have to remain.
The member for Sunnybank made some
points about India, as did the member for
Burnett. India is our third biggest importer of
coal. It is a big future market for us with its
emerging middle class. Malaysia is on the way
back. It has some political issues and
problems, but the economy is solid. Thailand is
starting to come back. As I indicated to the
House, I had lunch with Jeff Kennett and the
Prime Minister of Singapore and the Premier
of South Australia in Melbourne last Friday.
We can see Singapore's optimism. While the
Prime Minister of Singapore was very glowing
in his view of the Australian economy he
knows that, while we are solid, they are solid
as well.
What does all of that mean? That means
that we are on the doorstep of the biggest
market in the world—Asia. We can understand
Ford's enthusiasm when we talk about light
metals. We can understand magnesium
opportunities. We can understand Teksid's
interest, because as the middle classes
emerge in India, in China, in Indonesia, in
Malaysia and in Thailand—you name it—the
demand for cars of the future, lighter cars
admittedly, which is what this is all about, will
grow. Certainly the opportunities for us are
significant.
We have enormous opportunities to take
advantage of that. There is bipartisan support
for and agreement on these sorts of
agreements because this is the way to the
future. I say to the member for Lockyer that we
have to not think of yesterday. We have to
think of today and of tomorrow. We have to
plan these things. If we do not have some
future industries, if we do not plan for the
future, then my children and his children will
not have jobs. We cannot simply be insular in
these matters or there will not be a future for
any of us.
As the House can see, the economic
strategy I have set out, in a thumbnail sketch, I
guess, will give some idea of what we are
trying to do. It is the only way ahead. That is
why we have to be aggressive and get out in
the world. As I said before, while I have the
honour of being the Premier of this State I will
be knocking on every door I possibly can—in
Asia, in Europe and in the United States.
I ask the House to let me be political for a
minute. One of the things that disappoints me
about the Federal Government is that the
Prime Minister is a stay-at-home Prime
Minister. That is not good enough. The Prime
Minister of this country should be out there in
the world, selling our opportunity. Outside of
what we are trying to do—we are a new
Government—do honourable members know
who does more selling of Australia than
anyone else? It is Jeff Kennett. People in
some parts of the world would think he is
Prime Minister! Kennett should be doing what
he is doing. We will be doing that sort of thing.
I know that other State leaders—Bob Carr and
others—are still trying to do it as well, but the
Prime Minister and the Federal Government
need to play a more aggressive role in selling
Australia to the world.
In many respects we are a long way away
from the rest of the world. Distance is getting
shorter. If we want that long-term structural
development, if we want the Teksids to come
here and invest in our light metals industries
and if we want to develop joint ventures into
Asia, then we have to get off our tails and do
it.
I have to say—I have told the House
this—that I was disappointed when I visited
Italy a couple of weeks ago. When I sat down
with the Australian equivalent of Austrade and
they were talking about coming to Australia,
they were talking about going to Sydney and
Melbourne. Members can imagine how well
this went over with me.
Mr Schwarten: We want them to come to
Rocky.
Mr BEATTIE: We will do this in stages. I
said that that was simply not good enough. I
made it very clear that we would be going
back. I am not necessarily talking about me,
although I would love to if the opportunity were
available. In September we will be having an
exhibition of Queensland companies—
Australian companies, but obviously
Queensland companies—in Milan to showcase
what we can do. We will be inviting a range of
Italian companies to come here in the lead-up
to the Olympics next year because the Italian
Olympics team is, in fact, training in
Queensland. We will use that as a leg-up to
highlight the opportunities that exist in this
State.
Those are the sorts of things we have to
do. We have to be in those places. Frankly, it
is about time that we in this State and in this