Articles 

Asylum seekers are a major issue for South Australia’s voters, despite being off the local political agenda almost entirely, according to new data released by Google. Search engine data indicates South Australians searched for “asylum seekers” more than any other state on a per-search basis in the past 12 months. SA searchers used the term ‘refugee’ – as opposed to ‘boat people’ and ‘illegal immigrant’ – significantly more often in their search terms than other states. According to the Google data West Australian searchers ...

Around two thirds of skilled migrants are leaving South Australia within a couple of years of arriving, while  refugees and humanitarian entrants are much more likely to stay here, a parliamentary inquiry has been told. Despite targeted programs to bring skilled workers to the state, South Australia experienced a net loss, through  internal migration, of around 1100 migrants over the 2006-2011 period. “This was second only to New South Wales which is a much larger recipient of migrants, ” State Parliament’s Social  Development Committee’s ...

South Australia’s peak union group will lobby for the full abolition of the Federal Government’s temporary visa program, including controversial 457 visas. The demand is contained within SA Unions’ official election policy, released yesterday. The policy will form the backbone of campaigns at the upcoming state and federal elections. The policy calls on the unions to fight for “the abolition of the temporary visa system as a poor solution to labour and skill shortages in favour of genuine and fair immigration programs”. SA Unions’ ...

South Australia’s regions will spring to life over the coming months with a diverse range of festivals and events on offer to entice South Australians and interstate visitors to our regional wonderlands. Tourism Minister Leon Bignell said the 24 regional events supported by the Government will draw thousands of visitors to South Australia’s regions and help to boost local economies. Announcing the successful applicants of the 2013/14 Regional Events and Festivals Program, Mr Bignell encouraged South Australians to explore the food, art, wine and culture on ...

Tourism Minister Leon Bignell has signed an agreement in Shanghai with UnionPay International – a subsidiary of one of the largest global bankcard schemes – to make it easier for Chinese tourists to travel and shop in South Australia. UnionPay cards have one of the fastest-growing and most widely-recognised networks in the world, with 3.5 billion card-holders worldwide. Minister Bignell said the Memorandum of Understanding between the South Australian Government and UnionPay International will create benefits for both parties. “Increasing numbers of Chinese visitors ...

SOUTH Australia should embrace a nuclear future to help prop up the state's stagnating economy. The vision for a nuclear future for SA was one of the many ideas thrown up by 50 of the state's finest minds when asked by The Advertiser 'What reform or change is urgently needed to grow the state economy and jobs'. Other ideas thrown up by the 50 participants focused on lower taxes, help for small business, becoming more advanced technologically and ending of support for industries that could no ...

PART 2 - Top 100 ideas to grow South Australia 1. "Create a trade development zone where we reduce tax and create incentive for employment. An industrial techno park - our own Silicon Valley." Michael Angelakis Managing Director Angelakis Brothers 2. "Tax reform on small to middle sized businesses and the wine sector in general. General incentives to get business going to everyday people. Too much red tape and OH&S." Grant Burge Wine maker 3. "We need to ...

South Australia experiences some difficulties in attracting and keeping here skilled migrants. The migrants arrive and leave the State struggling to find suitable employment here.  I always think the green and clean South Australian is our unique selling point. We should promote more on this, along with the kindness of people here and the wonderful life style in SA. Government should not be involved in business or introduce business migrates to a specific industry. However, Immigration SA could use industrial associations to announce what kind of ...

A research note from ANZ on Australian demographics combs through the details of some familiar themes around the structural shifts in the workforce as Australia’s population gets older. But the section on immigration underlines how critical migration settings are to future growth, the continuing improvement of living standards, and the government’s ability to invest in education, health and infrastructure. The report by Dylan Eades, Paul Braddick, and chief economist Ivan Colhoun also canvasses a more complex layer to the potential productivity and growth upside that can ...