Minister for Investment and Trade Martin Hamilton-Smith has signed a historic sister-state agreement between the governments of South Australia and India’s Rajasthan.
Following successful visits to Rajasthan by Premier Jay Weatherill, Deputy Premier John Rau and a state government led business mission in August, the agreement was signed by Mr Hamilton-Smith and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje.
Mr Hamilton-Smith said the long relationship has strengthened in the past 12 months, culminating in the August 2015 trade mission involving over 40 South Australian businesses.
“This agreement will create new opportunities for exporters, it will encourage new ideas and relationships, which will lead to investment and job creation,” Mr Hamilton-Smith said.
“The South Australian Government wants to establish partnerships and collaborations in Rajasthan that will mutually benefit both regions.”
Private delegates include Sydac, SAGE Automation, NN Occupational Health, AAMC Training India, Private Limited, the South Australian Cricket Association and Rubicon Water.
Mr Hamilton-Smith said the State Government will work with the State of Rajasthan to share knowledge, exchange ideas and to produce economic prosperity.
“This month the State Government released research that demonstrated upwards of 65,000 South Australian jobs are linked to international exports,” Mr Hamilton-Smith said.
“We know that these jobs are spread across the economy through all sectors. Our research showed export jobs are not just limited to our traditional export sectors, like agriculture or mining. Services, health care, communications, transport are all major beneficiaries of exports.
“We need to ensure that this continues to grow. If we can grow this sector of the economy by just 10%, that is 6500 jobs. That sort of jobs growth would lower the unemployment rate by about 1.4%, bringing it into line with the rest of the nation.
“The State Government recognises that South Australia’s ongoing prosperity depends on our trade and investment in growing international markets,” Mr Hamilton-Smith said.
“The expertise within South Australia in sustainable water management will play a critical role to further improve water access and security for businesses and communities in Rajasthan.
“Our collaboration on sustainable water management will facilitate investment in South Australian water research, policy and technical capabilities in a number of areas, such as groundwater research, water quality, aquifer recharge and education training and capacity building.”
“Rajasthan comprises about 10 per cent of India’s land mass and about five per cent of the country’s population, but has marginally over one per cent of the country’s water resources.
“Over two-thirds of Rajasthan is identified as desert yet it is a major producer of agricultural crops,” Mr Hamilton-Smith said.
“This makes water conservation and management and environmental sustainability key priorities for the current and future prosperity of the region.”
The Sister-State relationship between South Australia and the State of Rajasthan is based on a two-way exchange of research, policy and technical capabilities.
Mr Hamilton-Smith will also speak at the Resurgent Rajasthan Partnership Summit in Jaipur.
“It is an opportunity to show South Australia’s support for Rajasthan and the relationship we intend to build with government and industry,” Mr Hamilton-Smith said.
“The Sister-State Agreement provides partnership and collaborative opportunities across key sectors for the region where South Australian business can offer services and product support.
“It is about us working together to build the economic prosperity of both our regions.”
Next year the Government of South Australia has planned a significant international inbound and outbound calendar to ensure momentum from this year’s trade missions continues.
The State Government will be leading trips to India, the Middle East and North Africa, South East Asia, North Asia, China, Europe and America.
The South Australia – India Engagement Strategy outlines how the State Government will work to strengthen the state’s ties with India and build a long-term partnership.
This partnership spans investment, trade and business activities as well as education, sport, culture, the arts and sciences to maximise and capture opportunities presented by the growing Indian economy.
The South Australia – India Engagement Strategy can be found at http://www.statedevelopment.sa.gov.au/investment/south-australia-india-engagement
To learn more about next year’s business missions, visit
http://www.statedevelopment.sa.gov.au/investment/business-missions