Minister for Primary Industries, the Honourable Tony Perrett MP; Trade and Investment Queensland CEO, Mr Justin McGowan; Taste of Queensland delegates; partners and guests.
I begin by acknowledging the Original Custodians of the lands around Brisbane, the Jagera and Turrbal people, and pay my respects to their Elders, past, present and emerging, and to any First Nations peoples here this evening.
It is a genuine pleasure for Graeme and me to welcome you all to Government House tonight and to have some of you stay here at Fernberg as our overnight guests to enable you to join us for this celebration of the success of last month’s Queensland trade mission to Japan.
And I take the opportunity at the outset to congratulate the Queensland Government on their ongoing commitment to the Japanese market and thank Trade and Investment Queensland for their immaculate planning and leadership of the mission.
As Governor, I was very pleased to be invited to join the mission and to be able speak to such a wide range of business, government and industry partners in Queensland’s second-largest export market.
Having representation at the highest level is particularly important in Japan, and over four very busy days the mission gave me vital opportunities to promote our State and the quality, consistency and variety of our food and beverages.
Among the many activities and events we attended, I was able to speak at:
- a lunch in support of Net Zero and Sustainable Food Systems with the legendary ‘Iron Chef’ Hiroyuki Sakai at his restaurant La Rochelle, in which he utilised Queensland produce;
- a Taste of Queensland reception in Tokyo, with more than 100 representatives of business, government and industry partners;
- a special Queensland Day luncheon in Osaka in the Australia Pavilion at World Expo 2025; and
- at the extraordinary Taste of Queensland showcase in Osaka’s vast Umeda Railway Station – the busiest station in western Japan!
Of course, without the commitment, passion and innovation of Queensland’s extraordinary entrepreneurs in this sector, including the enterprises represented here tonight, none of the products seen in Japan last month would have been on show:
- the world-class wagyu beef produced by Stockyard Beef, who have been exporting beef to Japan since 1973;
- the traditionally caught rock lobster from the Torres Strait, which we will all have the delight of sampling this evening;
- the innovative By-Artisans spirits distilled right here in Brisbane’s West End, which we enjoyed as a pre-dinner gin and tonic;
- the unique raw honey products created by Hampson Honey;
- the Asparagopsis seaweed being commercialised by CSIRO as a methane-reducing livestock feed; and
- the macadamias from Queensland farms that are leading the world in farming practices and quality control systems, and which we sample as part of dessert tonight.
As you’ll see in tonight’s menu curated by our Head Chef, Mr Paul Newsham, our focus remains – as it always does here at Government House – on promoting locally sourced Queensland produce and on helping to build and sustain our “clean and green” reputation in the export market.
In combination, our rigorous food safety regulations, strict control of pests and diseases, commitment to sustainable farming practices, and dedication to care of our land and waters have built a reputation that allows us, as a State, to command premium prices and gain access to high-value markets.
With producers like all of you leading the way, that reputation will continue and grow. The future is bright.
Thank you, and please enjoy this taste of Queensland.
