Covid-19: Hundreds of expats lured home to ‘land of opportunity’

Growing numbers of expats are being lured back home to the “land of opportunity”, appreciating the better lifestyle that South Australia offers.

South Australians are coming home. The state government has launched a $12.3m program – dubbed the Magnet State – which it says aims to capitalise on a growing momentum in the state’s population and economy through attracting and retaining the best and brightest.

The money will be invested over three years through the Jobs and Economic Growth Fund across growth industries like space, cyber and hi-tech, which has helped deliver successive quarters of positive net interstate migration.

“This is a stat we’re very happy with – we are attracting more people to live and work in SA than are leaving, and in fact, net interstate migration into South Australia is at the highest level in 40 years,” Premier Steven Marshall said.

“When we came to government, many South Australians weren’t choosing to stay in SA.

“They were finding their careers in Sydney, Melbourne, Hong Kong and London – people in their thousands were leaving the state.

“We set ourselves a goal that within our first term we wanted to get that figure back to neutral.

“Pleasingly we were able to do that within our first two years, before the onset of the global Covid-19 pandemic.”

After losing 6071 people from March 2017 to December 2017 quarter, the state has recorded a net gain of 963 people in the year to March quarter 2021, according to government figures.

An “unapologetically ambitious” Mr Marshall said South Australia was becoming ever more attractive to expats it transformed into the country’s most liveable state.

“People from throughout Australia are recognising that our state truly is the land of opportunity,” he said.

Interstate expats Jake Kantilaftas and his fiancee Anneliese Pedler relax at Somerton Beach after recently returning from the US to Adelaide Picture: Mark Brake

Investment manager Jake Kantilaftas, 30, is building a home by the beach at Somerton Park with his internal auditor fiancee, Anneliese Pedler, 29. For the past six years, he has lived all over the world – starting in San Francisco, before moving to New York, Sydney and then Melbourne. He said Adelaide’s job market has measurably improved.

“I wanted to work on big projects and Adelaide felt too small,” he said.

“I thought that if I could make it in the US, I could make it anywhere and it would be a great resume builder. Being in all those cities made me appreciate how great a city Adelaide is to live in. Although they’re wonderful cities, the amenity of living in Adelaide is still world class by comparison.

“Having been in the big cities, there’s a lot they have to offer, but fundamentally there’s a lot on offer in Adelaide and it can easily be overlooked.”

Victorian expats, Gabriel Tuppini and Sarah Mitchell have resettled in Adelaide. Picture: Matt Loxton

It’s a sentiment backed by fellow returnee Sarah Mitchell. “Part of the reason I left was that I felt Adelaide was ‘boring’,” Miss Mitchell, who has returned from Victoria and now lives in the CBD with her partner, said.

“Adelaide has provided us with more opportunities than I could have imagined. We were able to purchase a beautiful property, begin careers that have incredible growth potential and are enjoying the best that South Australia has to offer.”