Committee for Adelaide

Committee for Adelaide
Company typeIncorporated association
Founded2013
HeadquartersAdelaide, South Australia
Websitecommitteeforadelaide.org.au

The Committee for Adelaide is a non-partisan membership-based organisation providing an independent voice for the state of South Australia. It is committed to its namesake, Adelaide, the capital city of South Australia.

History

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Established in 2013, the Committee for Adelaide is part of the Committees for Cities and Regions Network. Its founding members are Ernst & Young and oil and gas company Santos Ltd and its foundation was influenced by political lobbyist Ian Smith.[citation needed]

Its inaugural chair was Colin Goodall, a retiree from the oil and gas sector. He was replaced by James Blackburn, a partner with PwC in November 2017[1] and by Professor David Lloyd, the vice chancellor and president of the University of South Australia in August 2019.[2]

The first general manager of the Committee for Adelaide was Timothy Horton,[3] who was followed by Matt Clemow[4] in 2014. The first full-time chief executive officer of the Committee, Jodie van Deventer,[5] began in September 2016.[6]

Governance and membership

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Its membership of the Committee for Adelaide is made up of some of the most diverse and influential organisations in South Australia.[7]

Its board includes professionals across numerous industries. As of January 2024, Raymond Spencer is chair, and Heather Croall is a board member. Frances Adamson AC, Governor of South Australia, is patron.[8]

The Committee for Adelaide has four different tiers of membership: Platinum, Corporate, Small Enterprise Member, and Associate Member.[9]

Advocacy and projects

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The Committee has worked on policies and initiatives to attract talent, business and capital. Some of the publications it has produced include:

  • Inquiry into Migration in Regional Australia (2019)[10]
  • Vision for Adelaide (2019) [11]
  • The Economic contribution of migration to South Australia (2019)[12]
  • University Merger submission (2018)[13]
  • Shaping Adelaide’s Future (2016)[14]
  • Attracting the business we need (2014)[15]
  • Attracting the people we need (2013)[16]
  • Earning our place in a global economy (2013)[17]

It has also prepared submissions into foreign policy white papers and infrastructure inquiries as well as given evidence at various parliamentary hearings[18]

In 2017, it launched its business attraction project Boards without Borders[19] and in 2019 launched its talent attraction program Adelaide Abroad,[20] designed to attract skilled migrants and expats and make their transition back to Adelaide easier.[21]

In the media

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The Committee for Adelaide is often quoted by the media and has had numerous opinion pieces published in various media including:

  • SA should race for next generation of motorsport[22]
  • How do you see Adelaide getting over this?[23]
  • Are we going to step up after COVID-19?[24]
  • Beyond the gloom, Adelaide has a chance to recreate itself[25]
  • The devastating truth about reconciliation[26]
  • SA has much to lose if submarine work goes west[27]
  • Defence can steer state into the future[28]
  • Adelaide is about the stories we tell ourselves[29]
  • South Australia needs policies to turbo charge population growth[30]
  • South Australia cannot lose its voice in Canberra because of poor population growth[31]
  • Bikes, electric scooters must be made legal for the road[32]
  • We need vibrant high-tech industry[33]
  • Clock ticking on nuclear waste site debate[34]

In 2020, the Committee for Adelaide hosted a workshop with the 50 most influential people[35] in South Australia as identified by The Advertiser. This followed a call from one of the 50, Sam Shahin from the Peregrine Corporation, for those on the list to use their influence for the good of the state.[36] Ten key ideas emerged[37] with the Committee for Adelaide taking an active interest in energy, education, superannuation and a youth forum.

In 2017, the Committee for Adelaide made national headlines[38][39] when it met with then Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull[40] regarding energy security, company taxation and migration.

Australian Financial Review journalist Phil Coorey, speaking on Adelaide radio station FIVEaa, said at the time that it was the Committee's Canberra delegation – that included medium-sized businesses – that had helped "take the sting" out of the company tax debate opening the way for Nick Xenophon MP to agree to cuts for businesses with turnover of up to $50 million. The deal included a $110 million loan for a massive solar thermal plant in South Australia and a study into constructing a long-mooted gas pipeline from the Northern Territory[41] to South Australia.

In 2016, and following discussions with Kevin Scarce and the Nuclear Fuel Cycle Royal Commission, the Committee for Adelaide organised a delegation to visit several nuclear industrial facilities in Europe in April 2016. According to Matt Clemow, the committee's tour aimed to "create a cohort of SA people who have experienced the operations of the nuclear fuel cycle and will be able to contribute to the public discourse..."[citation needed] InDaily reported that the delegation visited the Olkiluoto nuclear power plant and Onkalo spent nuclear fuel repository.[42] The delegation returned to Adelaide a day before the Nuclear Fuel Cycle Royal Commission delivered its final recommendations to the Parliament of South Australia. On 6 May, spokespeople for the delegation expressed their support for the establishment of nuclear waste storage facilities in South Australia.[43]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "James Blackburn Chair in 2017".
  2. ^ "Committee for Adelaide appoints new chair Professor David Lloyd".
  3. ^ "Timothy Horton Profile".
  4. ^ "Matt Clemow Profile".
  5. ^ "Jodie van Deventer named CEO of Committee for Adelaide".
  6. ^ "Jodie van Deventer CEO of Committee for Adelaide says our narrative must change for the city to grow". Adelaide Now.
  7. ^ "Committee for Adelaide Membership".
  8. ^ "About Us". Committee For Adelaide. 12 January 2024. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  9. ^ "Committee for Adelaide Members".
  10. ^ "Joint standing committee on migration".
  11. ^ "a vision for Adelaide".
  12. ^ "The economic contribution of migration to South Australia".
  13. ^ "Submission into the proposed merger between the University of Adelaide and University of South Australia".
  14. ^ "2018 Election Ask".
  15. ^ "Attracting the businesses we need".
  16. ^ "Attracting the people we need".
  17. ^ "Earning our place in a global economy stop comparing start competing".
  18. ^ "New regional visas are uncompetitive".
  19. ^ "Boards without Borders".
  20. ^ "Adelaide Abroad".
  21. ^ "Migrants get guided tour to lure them to Adelaide". Adelaide Now.
  22. ^ "Opinion Piece Motorsport".
  23. ^ "How do you see Adelaide getting over this".
  24. ^ "Are we going to step up after Covid 19".
  25. ^ "Beyond the gloom Adelaide has a chance to recreate itself".
  26. ^ "The devastating truth about reconciliation".
  27. ^ "SA has much to lose if submarine work goes West".
  28. ^ "Opinion Piece Jodie van Deventer Defence".
  29. ^ "Opinion Piece Jodie van Deventer Adelaide is about the stories we tell".
  30. ^ "Opinion Piece Jodie van Deventer SA Population Growth".
  31. ^ "Opinion Piece Jodie van Deventer SA Voice in Canberra".
  32. ^ "Opinion Piece Jodie van Deventer Bikes and Electric Scooters".
  33. ^ "Opinion Piece we need a vibrant hiitech industry".
  34. ^ "Clock ticking on nuclear waste site debate". InDaily. 10 February 2021. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
  35. ^ "Summit for SA's 50 most influential people".
  36. ^ "Sam Shahin challenges SA".
  37. ^ "10 ideas from SA's top 50 influencers to boost the state".
  38. ^ "Turnbull and Xenophon in crisis talks".
  39. ^ "SA firms bring energy concerns to Canberra".
  40. ^ "remarks at a meeting with the Committee for Adelaide".
  41. ^ "Ian MacFarlane outlines ambitious plan for national gas network".
  42. ^ "Nuclear lesson".
  43. ^ "nuclear dump investigation Committee for Adelaide".
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