PROFILE OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA

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South Australia covers an area of 984,377 square km (380,070 square miles) making it the third largest state by area in Australia. South Australia has a population of just over 1.5 million where less than a third of the population reside in regional South Australia. Combining this vast area with a small population means that there is one person for every 278 square kilometres.

South Australia is the driest state in Australia with desert lands constituting 60% of the area. With spectacular rugged coastline a further 80% of the state is flat with notable hilly regions located around Adelaide, the Clare Valley and Flinders Ranges located 150km and 500km north of Adelaide respectively.

There are six provincial cities with populations ranging from 12,000 – 23,000 with the remaining population living in smaller towns and on farming properties. The state experiences population growth of nearly 1% each year.

The South Australian economy continues to experience growth in comparison with the previous decade. However compared with the rest of Australia, the state’s economic growth is relatively small with Queensland and the Northern Territory experiencing the highest percentage of growth.

South Australia relies on regional areas to remain as a major agricultural producer within the nation. The following statistics show each states contribution to the national Gross Domestic Product for 2001-02. These figures reflect state population figures. New South Wales =34%, Victoria =25%, Queensland =17%, Western Australia =11%, South Australia =6%, Australian Capital Territory =2.1%, Tasmania =1.7% and Northern Territory =1.3%.

Whilst experiencing more than a 2% decline in unemployment from 2000, South Australia falls behind the larger populated states in overall employment numbers. Although specific regional towns such as Whyalla and Roxby Downs are industry focussed and have high employment rates, other isolated areas experience lower employment rates and average incomes compared to other areas of Australia.

Although regional South Australia has an extensive network of highways, accessibility and availability of transport options poses challenges for these communities. As a predominantly ageing population living across a wide expanse of land, the ability to access goods and services is a key issue. Transport is critical, not only to access essential goods and services, but social, cultural and recreational opportunities.

Most of these services are generally located within service centres which provide many of these services for the surrounding towns and communities. Therefore access to these centres is important, especially for small communities that do not have basic essential services such as a local chemist or convenience store. Adelaide, the capital of South Australia, is also a key destination, particularly for specialist services.

Page last updated on March 23, 2005