South Australia is the southern central state of mainland Australia, covering the largest arid parts of the country. The state comprises of less than 8% (~1.7 million) of the total population of the country, with 77% living in Adelaide, the state’s capital city. The state is home to over 200 ethnic communities, thereby offering a diverse multicultural workforce.
SA’s economy is dominated by food, agriculture and defence. The economy is currently transitioning from automotive manufacturing to services, innovation and knowledge-based industries. SA has invested in building infrastructure across defence, health, manufacturing, computing and innovation. Adelaide is the first and only GigCity in Australia, offering Australia’s innovation incubators with high speed connectivity.51
The economy of SA is expected to be supported in its growth endeavor through increased investment in infrastructure, utilities, education and health facilities. The Government has announced a budget of AUD 11.9 billion (USD 7.9 billion) in infrastructure spending over four years, from 2019 to 2022.52
The Government of South Australia has a sister agreement with the State Government of Rajasthan in India to establish an International Centre of Excellence in Water and Resource Management (ICEWaRM) in Jaipur. This agreement was signed in November 2015, to facilitate development and innovation in water resource management, education, training and research in India. The University of SA also has a long list of MoUs with Indian universities such as IIT, Manipal, National Law School of India University, etc., for offshore teaching and research.53 In 2016, Amity University in Noida and Jaipur have signed an agreement of collaboration with SA’s Flinders University in the fields of biotechnology, nanotechnology, education, business and public health.54
51 Government of South Australia website
52 Economic Outlook: South Australia
53 University of South Australia
54 Amity University Website
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