New figures show SA may be turning the corner on its brain drain reputation
The flow of people from South Australia to big city lights in other states is on the decline, new figures show. But we are still losing plenty of people each week to the “brain drain”.
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New figures show that South Australia’s brain drain to other states is starting to slow with the best net interstate migration numbers in five years.
The state is still effectively losing almost 11 people a day to other states, new 2018-19 statistics from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show.
But a bid to reduce the number of people leaving the state appears to be working with the state losing 3958 last financial year – compared to 7212 in 2015-16.
The net loss is the best result since 2013-14 when the figure was 3890 but still much higher than 10 years ago when 2709 left – at a rate of about seven people a day.
Stemming the flow of people leaving the SA to other states was a key part of Premier Steven Marshall’s economic plan both before and after the coronavirus pandemic.
Earlier this month, Mr Marshall told the Sunday Mail the State Government would use the state’s positive handling of the pandemic as a way of convincing people from interstate to call SA home, and for locals to stay put.
“We are hoping that the net interstate migration in SA will significantly reduce during this period,” Mr Marshall said at the time.
“We will position ourselves in the medium-term as a safer more attractive place to live.”
SA Property Council executive director Daniel Gannon, who has been a vocal critic of the state’s sluggish population growth under successive governments, welcomed the figures.
He said SA had an opportunity to capitalise on the impact of the coronavirus.
“South Australia’s response to COVID-19 has set national and global benchmarks and provided blueprints for other jurisdictions to implement,” Mr Gannon said.
“As we approach the recovery phase of this pandemic, we should market the strength of the state’s safety and resilience brand that has been established over the past six weeks.
“These aspects should not be underestimated as the state prepares to enter the economic recovery component to our response.
“South Australia is the beneficiary of many national competitive advantages like median house price and commercial floor space cost, which should hold us in good stead if residents and businesses are looking to re-establish in a post-COVID-19 world.”
On Tuesday, Innovation and Skills Minister David Pisoni said young South Australians had become more optimistic about the future of the state after an increased focus on apprenticeships, start-ups, defence, science, and the creative industries.
“After years of a growing drift of young people out of South Australia, new opportunities at home are delivering new careers to graduates that keeps them in South Australia,” Mr Pisoni said.
“South Australia will position ourselves in the medium term as a safer, more attractive place to live, which presents opportunities out of this pandemic to grow those global sectors and to attract further investment.”
The new ABS figures show last financial year 24 per cent of the state’s population was born overseas.
The United Kingdom, with 103,700 people now calling SA home leads the pack, followed by India, 29,000, China, 26,800 and Italy 20,200.
Last financial year, SA recorded a net increase of 14,100 people from overseas calling the state home.