Global Adelaide aspires to influence both regional economic development and community development. Our primary focus is on shaping immigration policy for the benefit of all South Australians, enabling our business and industry to thrive. We advocate for policy change to implement inclusive strategies to drive growth, revitalisation, and shared prosperity, recognising the significance of immigrant inclusion in our region’s growth.
Our advocacy is built around three, key areas of focus. They include understanding the economic value migrants bring to South Australia, reforming immigration policy and practice and attracting skilled migrants to South Australia.
UNDERSTANDING THE ECONOMIC VALUE MIGRANTS BRING TO OUR STATE
To understand the economic value of migrants in South Australia, Global Adelaide commissions and analyses research that assesses and measures the contribution of migrations to various aspects of the South Australian economy. Our research and analysis examines:
- Labour force participation: Migrants fill important roles that contribute to and ensure business continuity and growth. When the local labour market cannot fulfil industry workforce requirements, whether the need is for specific skills and experience or capacity, migrants can form part of the important solution. Migration is a relatively fast way to support regional and metropolitan business and industry, while allowing for education, training and development programs to address our state’s longer term needs.
- Entrepreneurship and innovation: Many migrants bring new ideas, entrepreneurial skills, startups and businesses to South Australia, contributing to the state’s innovation ecosystem.
- Consumer spending: Migrants contribute to the local economy by consuming goods and services, generating demand for a range of products and services. As with anyone living in South Australia, migrant consumer spending includes housing, food, transportation, leisure activities, banking and services, health and hospitality. What is particularly interesting about research findings is that migrants living in regional South Australia can create jobs in metropolitan Adelaide.
- Tax revenue: Migrants contribute to the state’s tax base through income and consumption taxes, providing a significant source of revenue for public services and infrastructure.
- Social and cultural impact: Migrants also contribute to the social and cultural fabric of South Australia, enriching the state’s diversity and bringing new perspectives and ideas. While it may be harder to quantify the economic impact of these contributions, they can have significant long-term effects on the state’s social and economic vitality.
ADVOCATING FOR IMMIGRATION REFORM
Advocacy is a crucial mechanism through which Global Adelaide influences policy change around immigration. We work with business and industry across South Australia to identify, investigate and quantify issues around our workforce and regional economic development. We look at the role of migration in addressing these issues and the potential immigration has to revitalise our communities, developing policy positions on immigration reform.
Global Adelaide engages with our network, facilitating broad discussion amongst stakeholders. We coordinate submissions to Federal and State inquiries, arrange events, and liaise and consult with government officials, including State and Federal Ministers, Premier and Cabinet, legislators, administrators and other decision-makers, to influence policy decisions to:
- Facilitate population growth
- Maximise economic value to SA
- Power business and industry with a suitably skilled and experienced workforce
- Revitalise and support regional communities.
Ultimately, our goal is to influence policy outcomes to affect change, enabling South Australia and our regions to thrive, along with the communities and individuals within them.
Learn more about Global Adelaide’s advocacy for immigration reform.
ATTRACTING SKILLED MIGRANTS TO SOUTH AUSTRALIA
South Australia is a great place to live, work and study, presenting the opportunity to live an enviable lifestyle. Global Adelaide promotes South Australia’s advantages to attract and secure skilled migrants to meet the workforce requirements that will enable our state to thrive.
We collaborate with our network to:
- Identify employment opportunities: Global Adelaide matches potential candidates with the right job, aligning skilled migrant expertise and experience. South Australia offers careers across growing industries such as healthcare, aged care, information technology, space, defence, energy and more.
- Streamline the visa application process: The visa application process and associated sponsorship and skilling Australia Fund costs can present significant barriers for skilled migrants and their employers. Global Adelaide advocates for a more efficient and effective visa system to quickly deliver required skills and experience to South Australia.
- Promote South Australia as a great place to live: Skilled migrants often consider the quality of life and their family’s education and health, before deciding to relocate. Global Adelaide promotes South Australia’s attractive lifestyle, climate, low cost of living, high-quality education and healthcare, and diverse cultural and recreational opportunities.
- Develop targeted marketing campaigns: Global Adelaide promotes job opportunities in South Australia for skilled migrants internationally. Through online and in person marketing and events, we showcase South Australia, job vacancies and growing industries, working with our network. [insert link to Our network]
- Develop networks and partnerships: Global Adelaide builds networks and partnerships with South Australian high commission offices, international organisations, universities, and companies to promote South Australian opportunities, attract skilled migrants and facilitate employment.
Latest Advocacy Articles
Future Workforce Needs for South Australia
Insights from Stakeholder Consultation: Preliminary Phase One Findings Phase One of the research into ‘Future Workforce Needs for South Australia’ has been released in draft form, providing preliminary findings from stakeholder consultation undertaken. …
Global Adelaide network meets with the Shadow Minister for Immigration
The Hon Dan Tehan, Shadow Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs, visited Adelaide yesterday and met with over 25 members of the Global Adelaide network to speak about skills and labour shortages and the limitations of the Australian migration system.
Global Adelaide network meets with the Departments of Premier and Cabinet and Industry, Innovation and Science
Alison Lloyd-Wright, Interim Chief Executive, Department of Premier and Cabinet, hosted a meeting with the Global Adelaide network to discuss migration program settings.