Sean Edwards (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Tonight I rise to talk about the role of new migrants and how they have played a part in the small family business sector in my home state of South Australia. I want to talk about some of the important waves of migration to South Australia and how migrants from those diverse backgrounds have contributed to creating an innovative, flexible and dynamic small business sector in my home state.

Since the early 1800s migrants have been arriving in South Australia, searching for a better life, new opportunities and escaping persecution and hardship in their home countries. The state has seen a great number of waves of migration over the past two centuries, bringing people and their traditions, their culture and knowledge from across the globe. Many of the migrants that have arrived established family businesses and community links which have contributed to the diversity and dynamism of our state economy.

Today, there are some 138,000 small businesses in South Australia; which represents 96 per cent of all private sector establishments in my home state. In a small state like South Australia, which does not have the headquarters of international firms like those seen in New South Wales, or a West Australian booming resources sector, small family businesses are critical to generate economic activity. We have all heard them described as the 'engine room' of the economy.

So what is the link here? I believe that families provide the most effective environment for individuals to achieve their full potential. New migrants quite often, initially at least, only have their immediate family for support. So it is only natural that when an individual starts up a small business their family ends up intertwined in the management and operation of that small business. This interdependence is one of the reasons why the small family business is so successful, and why in South Australia we have many examples of small business that have gone on to become international success stories. Indeed, the new leader of the state Liberal Party has a strong and rich heritage in a small family business which grew into a large family business.

But first I want to take you back to early European settlement of South Australia. The arrival of Captain Hahn and several ships of German Lutherans fleeing religious persecution in Prussia in 1838 signalled the first wave of German migrants to South Australia. They settled in Klemzig before moving further out to the Barossa Valley and Hahndorf, where many quickly established market gardens or worked as tradesmen and artisans. The Barossa Valley is now home to a number of world-renowned wineries, not least the iconic Penfolds.

Migration from China picked up towards the end of the 1800s with many new migrants establishing themselves as greengrocers, launderers, importers, carpenters and restaurant owners. The Sym Choon family are a successful example of the industrious nature of the Chinese that arrived in South Australia. After arriving in 1890 they were initially market gardeners in the Unley area, but moved into the city in 1906 and settled in the east end of Rundle Street. Gladys Sym Choon established a China gift store, in 1923, which remains today and which now bears her name, stocking high-end designer clothes and accessories.

After the abolition of the White Australia policy in 1972 a new wave of Chinese migration transpired, with many setting up businesses around the Adelaide Central Market, establishing what is now known as Chinatown.

Following the end of the Second World War a large number of Greeks and Italians, escaping economic hardship and the ravages of war, had arrived in South Australia. Many opened continental delis and other businesses which would have existed in their homeland.

A standout from the Greek community is Con Polites, who built the Polites property empire, which has visibly left its mark on Adelaide with many buildings still bearing the Polites name and which is ably run by his son George.

In recent decades the source of South Australia's migration has shifted from Europe to include an increasingly diverse number of countries. For example, larger numbers of Vietnamese and Cambodian migrants have arrived in the last couple of decades. All of them have cultivated market gardens and intensive horticulture in the Virginia region, a region well known to me because it is associated with the seat of Wakefield, of which I have a strong knowledge.

Tonight I want to talk about an exceptional example of a new migrant who, through hard work, ingenuity and a strong family network built a business that went from a small single shop to a major business that now exports to 35 countries around the world. It is a fantastic example of how immigrants make their new country better.

I take you back to the post-war period when several hundred thousand new migrants arrived from central and southern Europe, leaving behind the ravages of war, economic hardship and limited opportunity. Vili Militsis fled communist Hungary with his family and, after a year in a Red Cross refugee camp in Austria and a long wait in England, arrived in Australia on 6 January 1958. He came to this country as a refugee. His parents wanted to come to Australia to offer their children a better future, with hope and opportunity. Through perseverance and very hard work Vili grasped those opportunities. His story is symbolic of many families which immigrated to Australia to seek a better life and which have prospered. Vili attended his local school, St Joseph's Primary, where he learnt English, shone at maths and indulged in his love of soccer.

When he turned 14 he got a job to help support his family. And, after finishing an apprenticeship at a continental bakery, he qualified at the age of 18. With just $50 start-up capital and with proceeds from selling his car for the first week's stock, he started up his own high-quality continental cake bakery. He employed his fiancee, Rosemary, and his mother part time and leased some equipment. His business began on 6 January 1968, exactly a decade after arriving in South Australia.

At the heart of Vili's empire is family, critical to the evolution and success of his business. It was only at his sister's asking that he began to bake pies, pasties and sausage rolls. His sister ran a snack bar, which sold many of Vili's products and she wanted to sell these savoury baked goods made by her brother. Vili, using his knowledge of flaky pastry—that well-known flaky pastry—changed the traditional Aussie pie and pasty to make it acceptable to people from all backgrounds.

It was not until 1990 that Vili's expanded from the original homemade bakery to the modern export facility he uses today. His product innovation has delivered success through strong pie exports across the globe. Over and above his successful business, Vili has a strong commitment to education and philanthropic causes. He has acted as a mentor in a pilot Classroom Connections program that has prepared students for workplace cultures and provided them with an understanding of employer expectations. In addition, school groups regularly tour his manufacturing facilities, which are so popular that there is a six-to-nine month wait. And of course it would be a wait for a pie factory!

Vili's story, his commitment to his small business, devotion to family and dedication to the South Australian community makes him a shining example of the many thousands of migrants who have established businesses in South Australia and shows just how immigration makes our country better.

These migrants did not take the opportunities that were offered here for granted. They worked hard to ensure that their dreams came to fruition and that their businesses prospered. These are the qualities which have made South Australia and Australia a great nation of free enterprise.