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Press Release
Tasmania Under Spotlight at Australia Day Celebration in US
28 January 2008
The Leader for the Government in the Legislative Council, Doug Parkinson, has hosted guests from American commerce and Austrade to highlight Tasmanias's tourism and business opportunities at a gala dinner in New York to celebrate Australia Day.
Australian celebrity chefs Neil Perry and Luke Mangan provided a unique dining experience for 1,300 prominent Australian and American guests at the event.
Mr Parkinson, who is leading the Tasmanian parliamentary delegation to G'Day USA, was joined by Australian opera singer Daniel Sumegi, Tasmanian actress Rachel Taylor and Mark Andrich, representing bottled water company Tasmanian Rain.
Mr Parkinson said Tasmanian Rain has done the state proud by supplying bottled water at all key events over the last 10 days in Los Angeles and New York City.
"Many people were amazed at how the product is so pure and all natural," Mr Parkinson said.
Federal Foreign Affairs Minister Stephen Smith said the G’Day USA showed how valuable the alliance was between the USA and Australia in many areas including trade and culture.
Mr Parkinson said that the Tasmanian effort over the past two weeks had provided a base to build on areas such as tourism, the arts, food products such as fish and cheese, beer, water, the film industry, jewellery, computer technology, work and study in Tasmania and raising the profile of the Save the Devil Program.
He took the opportunity at the dinner to speak to well known Australian actor Jack Thompson about the plight of the devil.
“With a potential market of 300 million consumers, and Tasmanian companies already sending $300 million of exports to the USA, the G’Day USA program is the state's single largest national promotion," Mr Parkinson said.
"The benefits of Tasmania participating in this program will be followed up in the next few months so we can continue to increase our exports to the USA and also raise the number of Americans visiting the state to share in its attractions and delights."