Economics and trade publications

Stimulating South Australia: Public Housing in South Australia & the Wider Impact of the Australian Government's Stimulus Package
This report identifies the employment and economic impacts of the Australian Government's stimulus package on South Australia with a particular focus on the public housing component of the package. [further details]

The Future at Work - Foundations for Workforce Development in Southern Adelaide
This report details a Strategic Framework for Workforce Development in Southern Adelaide and outlines a range of recommendations that seek to lay the foundations for successful workforce development in the region1. It provides an introduction to the concept of workforce development and identifies key objectives to inform strategic planning. [further details]

Complex not simple: The vocational education and training pathway from welfare to work
The welfare-to-work policy aims to encourage certain welfare recipients to pursue pathways that lead to paid employment. This report explores the role that the vocational education and training (VET) system can play in assisting people move from welfare to work. The researchers examined the experiences of VET students from the relevant welfare groups and sought the views of other key stakeholders such as TAFE staff and Centrelink personnel. Conclusions include that VET can play a positive role but that there needs to be collaboration between VET and income support sectors to ensure that potential barriers are overcome. [further details]

River Murray Water Resources Report Issue 5: 3rd September 2007
The department's River Murray Water Resources Assessment Report is a new initiative for 2007-08. This fortnightly update includes information about water resource conditions in South Australia and interstate, including information on irrigation allocations and probability of improvement. http://www.dwlbc.sa.gov.au/murray/rivercond/index.html [further details]

Survival Skills: The Public Sector Retention and Attraction Challenge, State Budget Submission, 2007 - 2008
The Public Service Association (PSA) represents State public sector workers in South Australia. In addition to its recognised industrial role, the PSA actively promotes the vital role of the public sector in the South Australian economy and community. This State Budget submission is a contribution to the achievement of this objective. [further details]

Workforce Information Service - e.Alert September 2006
This e-Alert outlines some of the key and current research projects taking place around issues of workforce and skills development from across the state and the country. [further details]

An Evaluation Of The Energy Efficiency Program For Low Income Households
This report outlines the results of an evaluation of the South Australian Government's Energy Efficiency Program for Low Income Households. The program was established by the South Australian State Cabinet in June 2003, in partnership with community based welfare organisations and is administered by Energy Division within the Department for Transport, Energy and infrastructure. [further details]

Temporary skilled migrants in Australia: employment circumstances and migration outcomes
The objectives of this study are to examine the reasons for migration, employment circumstances and migration outcomes of temporary skilled migrants who are holders of the 457 temporary business entry visa. The study also investigates the social and economic circumstances of these temporary entrants, their future residential and migration intentions and the likelihood of shifts to permanent settlement. [further details]

Towards an understanding of the significance of family business closures in South Australia
While there is a significant body of research focusing on the reasons for family business closures in Australia, little is known about the specific impacts of these closures. This study seeks to focus attention on this under-researched area of family business. It does so in the context of concerns about family business capital depletion and the potential for this to accelerate as the age profile of family business owners increases over the next 10 years in line with population ageing. [further details]

Beyond the Unemployment Rate: Implications for South Australian Unemployment Policy
Given various concerns about the accuracy of the official measures of labour under utilisation in Australia, the aim of this paper is to estimate better the unemployment rate in South Australia since 1989, that is over the course of the last business cycle. This will be achieved by using three new measures of labour under utilisation that have been developed by Dr Barrett. [further details]

Rust never sleeps
With Mitsubishi in crisis, the pressure is building on South Australia to find new business investment and employment generators - sooner rather than later.John Spoehr discusses the closure and downsizing of South Australia's Mitsubishi plants and and discusses hot the State can move forward in the current economic climate. [further details]

No Such Thing as a Free Trade
Prime Minister John Howard has agreed to a trade deal with the United States that puts Australia's wider trade interests at risk and poses a particular threat to South Australia. [further details]

Power Politics: The Electricity Crisis and You
Power Politics chronicles the history of the struggle over ownership and control of the electricity industry in South Australia. [further details]

Living and Learning: A Profile of Young People, Employment, Education and Training in Northern Adelaide
This report provides a regional profile of the education, training and employment experiences of young people in Northern Adelaide. [further details]

State of Secrecy: Outsourcing: promise and performance
Not enough is known about the real impact of the outsourcing revolution in South Australia because the information needed to fully evaluate major contracts, like the United Water and EDS contracts has been shrouded by commercial confidentiality. While some minor disclosure reforms have been introduced by the State Government a state of secrecy remains. Notwithstanding these difficulties ithis report goes some way in examining experience of outsourcing and to put the case for greater transparency and disclosure in government wherever public monies are involved. [further details]