SA Economy

[SRW]

Oh FFS, have a sense of proportion! Dumping on ad campaigns has always been a popular pastime, particularly locally. It's a potent mix of armchair commentating and cultural cringe. It's hardly confirmation that the whole world is going to hell in handbasket, which is itself a whinge as old as time. Dragging the 'political correctness gone mad' bogeyman into it is just hysterical balderdash. Going back to 2006, people howled at Morrision's failed "So where the bloody hell are you?" campaign. And even before then, people moaned about Paul Hogan. It's a very insular debate, without broad consequence. Except, of course, whether it actually works to boost the local industry - which was the point of my posting it here.

[Goodsy]

Young people complaining that the ad is ageist, while older people are having a laugh. Political correctness gone stupid as usual.

If you don't like the ad, fair enough, but most people are bagging it on behalf of a section of the population they know nothing about.

It's Middle aged people complaining that the ad is ageist, while older people are having a laugh. Young people aren't watching ads, let alone commenting on them

[Benski81]

So National Accounts data got released yesterday and let's just say things aren't great. Annualised GDP growth rate was 1.4% and SA's final demand was -0.2%. The ABS said:

South Australia
"South Australia's state final demand decreased 0.2% for the quarter. Weakness in non-dwelling construction (-6.6%) was driven by falls in energy related projects. Household consumption expenditure partly offset this fall, driven by increased spending on discretionary items."

The weakness seems to be "non-dwelling construction" which I think is probably reflecting the negative business investment overall. It's not great. Hopefully next quarter is better.

https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/[email protected] ... Jun%202019

https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/[email protected] ... num=&view=

[Jaymz]

Regarding the "old Mate" advertisement, I was quick to write it off as a mistake purely from online surveys and reading/listening to media commentary over the past few days.

After actually watching it today for the first time, I really can't see what the big deal is about. For starters it's very short, it slightly gives the impression of "WTF did
I just watch??", it's getting people talking, it's now the basis for plenty of memes and the likes on social media etc. etc. The very last moments has some upbeat music
and a panorama of Adelaide Oval and the CBD, a nice finishing touch.

Overall, I don't think it's the disaster that many have been saying. Just my

[Ho Really]

Overall, I don't think it's the disaster that many have been saying. Just my

I believe that too. Unfortunately there's too much antipathy towards Adelaide and SA from interstaters. Too many old seated misconceptions...so regardless whatever we do that looks positive we'll still get the same reaction.

Here are the mixed comments from Traveller.com.au (The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, the Sun-Herald and The Sunday Age).



So...better off doing something controversial like this to open eyes and minds. Now it would be nice if they add a few more SA locations and events to show off our state not only Adelaide and have "old mate Dave" cry over a few other things.

Cheers

[Jaymz]

Yeah I could almost see Old Mate gaining some kind of cult status.... everyone hanging out for what Old Mate might get up to next, where will he pop up?

Maybe Old Mate might even meet a new love interest whilst eating bratwurst in Hahndorf. Who knows!!!

[oscar13]

Regarding the "old Mate" advertisement, I was quick to write it off as a mistake purely from online surveys and reading/listening to media commentary over the past few days.

After actually watching it today for the first time, I really can't see what the big deal is about. For starters it's very short, it slightly gives the impression of "WTF did
I just watch??", it's getting people talking, it's now the basis for plenty of memes and the likes on social media etc. etc. The very last moments has some upbeat music
and a panorama of Adelaide Oval and the CBD, a nice finishing touch.

Overall, I don't think it's the disaster that many have been saying. Just my

Interstate friends that have seen it (albeit 5-6 of them) love the ad. No issue with it at all.
Most criticism coming from within SA?

The way i see it... whether people love it or hate it, its got people talking about it...and Adelaide...
Best to disregard the outrage culture where people try to find something to get offended by...

[rev]

Boost of apprentice numbers highlights the huge task of creating 20,800 new apprentices and trainees in SA
Matt Smith, National Affairs Editor, Sunday Mail (SA)
September 7, 2019 9:00pm

Targets for apprentice and trainee numbers in South Australia could take decades to realise if current enrolment rates continue, new data shows.

Despite the highest jump in apprentices and trainee commencements in seven years the figures have highlighted the enormous task ahead of the State Government to deliver on its overhaul of the vocational education and training sector.

New figures from the National Centre for Vocational Education Research show that last year South Australia created an additional 115 apprentice or trainee commencements — well short of the 5,200 a year needed to hit the State Government’s target of 20,800 over four years.

The State Government is confident it can super charge the sector as part of a $200 million State and Commonwealth commitment to increase participation in the sector called Skilling South Australia.

But the State Opposition has raised concerns that the money being invested into improving the sector is not producing the necessary results.

Innovation and Skills Minster David Pisoni told the Sunday Mail his government inherited a broken system.

“The fact that this is the first time in seven years that there has been an increase in total commencements in SA shows there has been an improvement but there is still much more work to be done, and we are committed to the task,” he said. ​

“Skilling South Australia is a comprehensive four year strategy to directly tackle the problems we inherited from Labor.

“The first year is focused on stabilising the system and turning it around.

“Subsequent years will see us grow the system and roll out more and more programs to grow student numbers and expand the sector.

“Consequently, the targets for Skilling South Australia ramp up over time, with the first year’s target being a more modest stretch target than for years two, three and four.”

Labor industry and skills spokeswoman Clare Scriven said it was revealed in estimates in July the State and Federal Government had spent $34 million last financial year on the program.

“There has been a huge spend by Minister Pisoni for new apprenticeship commencements and yet completions are going down and withdrawals and cancellations continue to sky rocket,” she said.

“South Australian taxpayers need value for money — not reckless spending for very little return.

“The new figures show that the Marshall Liberal Government is set to fail in its election promise.”

The figures cover everything from traditional trades through to clerical workers and specialised technicians.

In April last year Federal Skills Minister Michaelia Cash announced “the Morrison Government will partner with the Marshall Liberal Government to create an additional 20,800 apprenticeships and traineeships in South Australia over the next four years.”
https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/sou ... cfa073bda6


The problem is that these sorts of programs are reliant on the job seeker chasing work. This doesn't actually do anything to help the job seeker, I could be mistaken.
A better program would be to have employers who are seeking apprentices and trainees, to register as such with say a government agency setup for this purpose, call it SkillingSA, where job seekers can go to and apply. As part of it, they should offer pre-voc programs, subsidised or paid for, to get job seekers 'job ready' for these trade industries.
Because most employers would prefer to have people who have some understanding of how to use tools (believe it or not many people are clueless on using tools), have some understanding on the industry they are entering and the job they are about to undertake.

What they are doing now is a massive waste of tax payers money, because essentially you are doing what you can do on your own anyway, go out and try and find an apprenticeship or traineeship. What do you need to the government for?
Whereas if they did something like I've suggested above, they'd have a few thousand new apprentices right now. And that would be a much better way to spend that $200 million because it would deliver positive results.

And more should be done to encourage businesses to take on mature age apprentices, because there's many people out there who are under employed in various industries, and would jump at the chance to change careers/industries if it meant continuous full time and secure work.

[rhino]

And more should be done to encourage businesses to take on mature age apprentices, because there's many people out there who are under employed in various industries, and would jump at the chance to change careers/industries if it meant continuous full time and secure work.

This /\ /\ /\ !

[SRW]

Noticed a bit of a Pollyanna article on the front page of today's Australian:

Pull factor: Adelaide’s secrets revealed
David Penberthy, 14 September 2019, The Weekend Australian

Don’t go telling everyone, but there’s a place in Australia where you can buy a family home for around 500 grand near the beach or in the hills, spend less than 30 minutes commuting to work, and make it to the wine country for a classy dinner and a cracking bottle of red by 7pm on a Friday.

It’s a place that’s long been dismissed as devoid of job opportunities and, in a lifestyle sense, derided as a bit quaint, or even dull. Now, there are growing signs that the genuine promise of a more affordable, manageable life is luring escapees from the east, as the long-suffering residents of Sydney, Melbourne and even Brisbane seek respite from congestion, tolls and punishing property prices.

And while every eastern state premier is slamming the shutters and declaring their state full, South Australia’s Steven Marshall has a simple message for people stuck in their cars on Parramatta Road or the Bolte Bridge.

“Give SA a go,” Mr Marshall told The Weekend Australian. “Give us a go because there is another life for you out there. Every week I hear of somebody who has moved from one of our big cities to Adelaide and been shocked by what their money can buy in the property market in SA and very pleasantly surprised by the type of jobs that are now on offer.

“Routinely people talk about selling their house in Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane, buying their house freehold in Adelaide, and putting money in the bank, in a really attractive environment for their kids to go to school, good quality jobs, and a great lifestyle.” Mr Marshall’s remarks aren’t the empty touting of a man desperate to kickstart a flagging state. For the first time since South Australia’s State Bank collapse in the early 1990s, which fuelled an exodus from the state and deterred anyone in their right mind from shifting there, the latest population data shows South Australia is finally reversing the trend.

While the state’s rate of population growth remains half the national average of 1.6 per cent, the rate of net interstate migration out of South Australia has almost halved from well above 7000 people a year five years ago to just over 4000 people in 2018.

Mr Marshall said one of his main policy objectives as Premier was to achieve zero net interstate migration, and then to swing the migration pendulum in South Australia’s direction.

He has a four-pronged strategy to grow the population: a greater share of the skilled migration intake; concessions for overseas students to stay longer in South Australia upon graduating; attract residents from the east; and win back young South Australian expats who departed under the state’s debilitating and extended brain drain.

To that end, young couples such as property lawyer Alexia Schar, 32, and her electrician husband-to-be, David Bailey, 28, are in Mr Marshall’s exact sweet spot.

Mr Bailey was born in South Australia but left for Queensland as a boy, while Ms Schar lived most of her life there but moved to Brisbane with Mr Bailey three years ago after they met while working on the ­snowfields of Canada during a gap year.

They moved to Adelaide three months ago after Ms Schar got a good job at a leading law firm, Wallmans, and Mr Bailey found work with ­Niessen Electrical.

“We are getting married on December 6 and it just seemed like we might as well do everything at the same time — wedding, new jobs, move interstate,” Ms Schar says.

“We paid $455,000 for a house that’s just four minutes’ drive from Brighton Beach, with three beds, two baths, 20 minutes out of town, and it would have cost us $650k-$700k if we had stayed in Brisbane and who knows how much in Sydney or Melbourne.

“I’ve got a lot of mates from here who moved to Sydney and now they’re moving back.” Mr Marshall said he’s got friends who have told him the same story.“We need to sell this story to the rest of Australia,” he said.

[rev]

Here's a reality check..

SA unemployment rate in shock spike to 7.3 per cent, a three-year high

Daniel Wills, State Political Editor, The Advertiser
September 19, 2019 11:38am

Why men are the losers of our changing economy

South Australia’s unemployment rate has spiked to 7.3 per cent, remaining the highest in the nation and a full two percentage points clear of the national average.

Despite fears that last month’s surge to 6.9 per cent was a blip that would correct in August, the number has today gone even higher in the latest ABS release.

It is the highest rate since April 2016.

Behind SA at second-worst is Tasmania and Queensland on 6.4 per cent.

The national seasonally adjusted unemployment rate is 5.3 per cent.

Premier Steven Marshall came under fire for saying that last month’s rise in unemployment contained “great news”, being largely driven by an increase in confident jobseekers.

The latest figures reveal the number of people in SA who have a job has hit a new record high of 855,400.

However, that rebounding growth is being swamped by huge numbers of job-seekers joining the queue.

The number of people in SA who either have a job or want one is now near the highest it has been in a decade.

And a clear divide between the sexes has continued to widen.

Men’s unemployment in SA is now 7.5 per cent, but 6.0 per cent for women.

Experts say that is being driven by the lop-sided performance of SA’s industries, as sectors such as manufacturing that have traditionally been dominated by men go into decline and service areas like health are growing and attracting women.

Opposition treasury spokesman Stephan Mullighan said the State Government must concede now SA had a real jobless problem.

“Steven Marshall said an unemployment rate of 6.9 per cent was no problem whatsoever. It’s now 7.3 per cent - does Steven Marshall still say there is no problem?” Mr Mulligan said.

“If Steven Marshall won’t admit there’s a problem, how can South Australians have confidence he’ll do anything to create jobs?”
https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/sou ... 9a4e6d6d11

[rev]

Sluggish population growth buoyed by foreign migration
Matt Smith, The Advertiser
September 19, 2019 8:00pm
Subscriber only

SA jobless rate hits three year high, worst in Australia
New competitions, giveaways and deals for Advertiser subscribers

South Australia is losing about 10 people a day to other parts of the nation, new figures show.

However, the state’s traditionally sluggish population growth is showing signs of improvement after growing by 14,800 people in the 12 months to March this year, buoyed by overseas migration.

New Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show the state’s population growth rate has jumped to 0.9 per cent, from 0.7 per cent last March.

But the growth is still the second slowest in the country behind the Northern Territory, which dropped its population by 0.4 per cent.

A State Government spokesman said there was a range of policies to increase population growth by ending the exodus interstate, attracting more skilled migrants and increasing the number of international students.

But Property Council SA executive director Daniel Gannon said the government had not made any “meaningful headway” on population growth, despite touting increasing population growth as its highest priority, linking growth in this area to bolstering the state’s economy.

https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/sou ... 39cccb71a9

LOL. Where to start.
What this article ignores and doesn't mention is that we are getting 'more' foreigners, because the federal government classes Adelaide as regional, in order to try and boost the population.

What's the point of skilled migrants, if there's no jobs?

Let's ignore the reasons why our own people continue to leave in their thousands, and replace them with other people. That'll fix things.

Forget making headway on population growth.
Start by fixing the economy, start by creating the conditions for a jobs boom. Then attracting people to move/live here, and stay here, will be easier, half the battle will already be won because there's a reason for people to come.

I'm sure someone will pop up and tell me how I'm wrong, because we have wine and beaches and festivals and some mostly dreadful parklands surrounding the city, our airport is close to the city, blah blah blah, because all that is working a treat for this state and city. Maybe if we ignore the fact we have the worst unemployment in the country, a struggling economy, it will all disappear. Seems to be the Premiers method at the moment..

[how good is he]

I agree and feel like we are all waiting for something to turn or even happen. Is there any signs yet of the $90 billion defence/naval contract and the 5000 or so jobs needed? Do we expect interstate/overseas skilled workers to get the majority of these jobs anyway? Is there anything else big in the pipeline or likely over the next decade? We hear about Lot 14/National Space Agency also Tonsley etc but is there any sign of significant jobs/adverts etc? In short, where is the demand for the next generation going to come from for significant new employment here in SA?

[Ho Really]

We should be greening the desert like the Israelis. We have plenty of sun to generate energy and water to desalinate...FFS! Is that a good suggestion?

Cheers

[SRW]

We should be greening the desert like the Israelis. We have plenty of sun to generate energy and water to desalinate...FFS! Is that a good suggestion?

Cheers

We're not at the stage of needing to desalinate water for irrigation, but it's worth noting that the Northern Adelaide Irrigation Scheme is finally underway and will make enough recycled water available to producers on the plains to hopefully massively boost our food exports.