Governor of Victoria Export Awards

I begin by acknowledging the Traditional Owners of the lands on which this House stands – the Wurundjeri and Bunurong people – and pay my respects to their Elders, past and present.

Fifty years ago, Victorian vegetable grower Brian Hussey was travelling through rural France when he noticed something that sparked his interest.

French farmers were harvesting leafy vegetables shortly after they sprouted, and used them to create a ‘mesclun’ or mixed-leaf salad – a term that was unfamiliar to many Australians at the time.

Inspired by what he saw, Brian took the idea home and began planting similar crops on his 40-acre farm on the Mornington Peninsula.

He may not have known it then, but he was pioneering a major new category in the fresh vegetable market.

As these salad vegetables increased in popularity, the business invested in growing its size and improving its technology.

In 2007, it began focusing on the export market – with its new owner attending a trade show in Singapore with boxes of salad – leading to its first export customer – Singapore Airlines.

In 2018, Hussey & Co was recognised here at Government House as the winner of the Governor of Victoria Export Award, and today it is Australia’s largest exporter of baby leaf salads.

In his book Skin in the Game, statistician Nassim Nicholas Taleb writes that:

“Not everything that happens, happens for a reason, but everything that survives, survives for a reason.”

He also argues that having a personal stake in an outcome is a necessity in good decision-making, telling us:

“How much you truly “believe” in something can be manifested only through what you are willing to risk for it.”

This House receives many foreign dignitaries and their delegations who visit our State to explore trade and investment opportunities.

When they visit, we have many compelling facts to tell them about Victoria’s outward-looking approach, the strength of our international trade partnerships, and our innovative contributions to global supply chains, products, and services.

However, statistics can only paint part of the picture.

At the heart of these trade relationships are countless stories like Hussey & Co – replicated time and time again across the full breadth of industries.

They are stories of people who have adopted ideas from abroad and adapted them on our shores or to create new products and services.

Stories of people who have put in the effort to research and understand foreign markets, and to build the necessary connections to bridge borders.

Stories of people who have made the leap of faith to test their products and services abroad – that is, people who have ‘skin in the game.’

Tonight’s ceremony is a fitting acknowledgment of not only your vision, expertise and determination, but also all the risks you have absorbed to get to this point.

Earlier this year, as I travelled through Wellington Shire in Gippsland, I had the opportunity to visit one of the newer Hussey & Co farms.

Not only did I learn that there is no discernible difference between ‘baby’ spinach and regular spinach – but I saw firsthand the kind of versatility required to grow and sustain a major export operation.

Export success is not a standalone achievement isolated in a moment in time.

Rather, it is underpinned by an ongoing commitment to take on risk, seize opportunity, and – above all – maintain the quality that is required to survive in competitive global markets.

As Hussey & Co owner, Jeremy Haw, puts it:

“It doesn’t matter that you’ve been going since 1975 – if you put rubbish in a box, you’ll fail.”

I’m sure that sentiment rings true for many of you here tonight.

Regardless of whether or not you are a winner tonight, you have all contributed to strengthening Victoria’s global reputation as a high-quality exporter – and for that we owe you our gratitude.

I now invite Minister Pearson to address us.