Lockdown toll: Melbourne drops down liveability index
Adelaide has been praised for the first time as the most liveable city in Australia and the third most liveable in the world.
Melbourne’s loss has been Adelaide’s gain with the City of Churches praised for the first time as the most liveable city in Australia and the third most liveable in the world.
For the first time in its history, Adelaide knocked off longstanding winner Melbourne as Australia’s most liveable city in The Economist magazine survey, coming in third worldwide behind Auckland and Osaka.
Melbourne took out the top spot for seven years from 2011 to 2017 as well as from 2002 to 2004.
But the so-called coffee capital of Australia fell several places this year, tying for eighth place with Geneva, Switzerland, on the scale that measures cities on their stability, healthcare, education, culture and environment, and infrastructure.
The new honour reflects some longstanding benefits of Adelaide that have become assets over this difficult past year – lower congestion and population density, high levels of urban green space and greater housing affordability.
Often derided as dullsville, South Australia is finally shaking off that tag with tourism numbers and population growth figures showing more Australians are giving the state a go and finding it to their liking.
Due in no small part to its success in containing Covid, SA increased its population in the past year for the first time since 2002 as interstate expats returned, while Adelaide finished second behind the Gold Coast as the No 1 tourist destination under the federal government’s half-price airline ticket scheme.
Tourism SA research shows the state has now overtaken Victoria as Australia’s most recognised destination for food and wine tourism.
Premier Steven Marshall said Covid had helped underscore Adelaide’s strengths as a city. “I have been saying for months that SA is the safest place, in the safest nation in the world,” he said.
“Everyone in SA has worked together to ensure we stayed safe, and our economy strong, during the pandemic, and now it’s paying dividends. Adelaide and our regions have world-class food and drink, jaw-dropping landscapes, immersive wildlife experiences, vibrant city life and iconic coastal culture, and now the entire world knows it.”
SA Property Council chief executive Daniel Gannon said Adelaide had “long been Australia’s best kept secret”.
“It’s hardly a surprise that Adelaide has been recognised,” he said. “Throughout the pandemic, our state has built a new reputation focused on resilience, safety and wellbeing, which is leading to an increase in attention, population and investment.”
Mr Gannon urged the state and federal governments to do more to help the state’s emergence from Covid by allowing the return of international students to restore SA’s standing as an education exporter and boost the local economy.
The study noted several reasons for the change in rankings, mostly due to the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdowns that have “caused huge volatility”.
“The overall global average liveability score has fallen by seven points, as compared with the average pre-pandemic score,” it noted. “The extent to which cities were sheltered by strong border closures, their ability to handle the health crisis and the pace at which they rolled out vaccination campaigns drove significant changes in the rankings.”
Adelaide was followed by Perth, which placed sixth. Brisbane and Sydney placed 10th and 11th respectively.
Melbourne got top marks for culture education and infrastructure, but Brisbane and Adelaide placed higher for healthcare.
Revealed today, The Global Liveability Index 2021 tracks how the covid-19 pandemic has affected 140 cities worldwide. Find out where your city ranks here: https://t.co/Swvt3hgukipic.twitter.com/dfIvgjA2on
— The Economist Intelligence Unit (@TheEIU) June 8, 2021
Additional reporting: Joseph Lam
More Coverage
‘Disconcerting’: Australia confronts China over live weapons exercise
The Albanese government has lodged a diplomatic protest with Beijing over a live weapons drill between Australia and New Zealand, as the Defence Minister reveals China is yet to give a ‘satisfactory’ explanation.
Family earns top farming honour
A South Australian family who have greatly increased production within their dairy herd through innovation and sustainability measures have been judged Australia’s best farmers.