South Australia’s property industry is ready for the new “roaring 20s” – and the Property Council has 16 policies in its election manifesto which can make Adelaide a high-tech hub and base for digital nomads.
“The pandemic has triggered a rethink of people’s preferences and South Australia’s economy can be a direct beneficiary,” says Property Council South Australian Executive Director, Daniel Gannon (pictured).
Adelaide is already recognised as Australia’s most liveable city, taking the third spot on the global liveability list published in 2021 by the Economist Intelligence Unit.
“Throughout the pandemic we have seen a new culture around remote work combined with a booming technology sector,” Gannon adds. He says this enhances Adelaide’s “value proposition as an attractive destination to live, work, invest and play”.
As South Australians head to the polls on 19 March, the Property Council has published a state election platform which outlines a range of policies to aid Adelaide’s transition from boom town to Zoom town, Gannon says.
Among the policies on the Property Council’s wish list are a task force to attract big company headquarters, a campaign to promote Adelaide as the “place to be”, more international direct flights to Adelaide and increased commercial high speed internet connections.
Gannon points to several positive signs for the property industry. The Property Council’s most recent Office Market Report shows net absorption of commercial office space is 40 per cent higher than Adelaide’s 20-year average.
Gannon says Adelaide can continue to attract “future-proofed industries” and build on its strengths in areas such as artificial intelligence, cyber security, and data analytics.
Lot Fourteen, a global innovation and research district established on the site of the old Royal Adelaide Hospital, has already attracted a 1,000-strong workforce and global technology names such as Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud and MTX Group and Salesforce.
Connecting these businesses is the Ten Gigabit Adelaide project that brings world-class fibre optic network connections to buildings around the city.
“Now we need to drive greater connectivity into global markets with direct flights to Adelaide to build a pipeline of human capital, innovation and investment that will bring digital nomads to Adelaide.”
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