SA jobs crisis Adelaide Crows chairman Rob Chapman to head 15m investment fund to attract business

SA jobs crisis: Adelaide Crows chairman Rob Chapman to head $15m investment fund to attract businessAdelaide Crows chairman and former banking executive Rob Chapman is set to take charge of a $15 million investment fund to attract businesses to South Australia. Mr Chapman is to be appointed the chairman of the fund, which was announced in this year’s state budget. Last week South Australia recorded its highest jobless rate in 15 years with 8.2 per cent unemployment. Nationally, unemployment remained relatively steady at 6 per cent, with almost 25,000 full-time jobs added. Mr Chapman told 891 ABC Adelaide the fund was an “exciting and a very responsible initiative” and he would have a “laser-like” approach to promoting the state to business. “We’ve got to leave no stone unturned in creating jobs in South Australia and we all know the situation we are in,” he said “It may indeed get worse as we transition from an older economy, a manufacturing economy to a newer economy.” Mr Chapman said the project would promote South Australia to the world as a place to set up business. “This group I am going to lead is hell bent on having a very coordinated and very organised approach, a very targeted one to national and international businesses to come and set up right here in South Australia and allocate capital and create sustainable jobs to contribute to the economic prosperity of this state.” South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill last week described the state’s unemployment rate as “deeply disturbing”. On Friday he said the State Government was pressing ahead with concerted efforts to create jobs. “What’s not widely appreciated is that over the last five months the number of jobs in the South Australian economy has grown every month,” Mr Weatherill said. Originally posted on www.abc.net.au on 13 July 2015