INTERSTATE MIGRATION

Adjourned debate on motion of Hon. J.M.A. Lensink:

That this council condemns the state government for its 10 years of failure to stem the extraordinary flow of young people leaving South Australia for study, career and lifestyle opportunities interstate.

(Continued from 28 March 2012.)

The Hon. J.S. LEE (17:25): Today I rise to support the Hon. Michelle Lensink in her motion to condemn the state government for their 10 years of failure to stem the extraordinary flow of young people leaving South Australia for study, career and lifestyle opportunities interstate. I also acknowledge the member for Morialta, Mr John Gardner, in the other place for his passionate contribution in highlighting this important issue to the parliament.

The Hon. Michelle Lensink and the member for Morialta have demonstrated evidence to show that South Australia does not have the education, career and lifestyle opportunities that are necessary to keep our young people in the state. This is an area of great interest to me because I see young people as important building blocks for the healthy development of the economic and social fabric of South Australia.

Losing young qualified and skilled people to other states decreases workforce participation in the economy and reduces the capacity of South Australia to compete nationally and globally. Just about every week I hear about a young person either planning to or already having left South Australia to move interstate. The ABS data has recently released figures of net migration interstate showing the average of 2,976 people leaving the state each year over the 10 years under the state Labor government.

So many parents are saddened that their children are leaving home not because they dislike Adelaide but because of the lack of opportunities for young people to further their education and career, to chase their dreams. My two trainees, for example, have left the state to pursue better career and lifestyle opportunities. My first trainee was a smart and enthusiastic young man called Chris Molloy. He graduated with a Bachelor of Public Relations from UniSA. He left South Australia at the age of 22 after he completed his traineeship here in Parliament House because he could not find suitable employment here.

My second trainee was Lawrence Brodie, another wonderfully bright young man who completed a first class honours degree in Bachelor of Arts. He left Adelaide earlier this year at the age of 23 to pursue further studies in law at the University of Melbourne. The education opportunity in Melbourne was perceived to be more advantageous to him for career development. His girlfriend of about the same age had also left Adelaide to go to Melbourne.

A variety of reasons for the preference of interstate universities over South Australian ones were identified—including higher ranking universities, a wider range of subjects, better recognised degrees, accessibility to more renowned professors and lecturers, greater specialisation in teaching quality, and more marketing and networking opportunities as students and graduates—which young people believe will lead to better professional development and career opportunities.

In my role as shadow parliamentary secretary for multicultural affairs and small business, I have observed the impact of young people leaving South Australia affecting these two sectors. Let me speak about the multicultural sector first. As we all know, our migrant communities came from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and we know that English is often not their first language for the first generation migrants.

However, for many of them, their children are either born or educated in Australia, therefore are fluent in English and fully adapted to the Australian way of life. The mums and dads in these migrant families often rely on their children to assist them with interpretation and translation whether it is dealing with tradespeople, going to the doctors or handling legal documents. As this group of mums and dads are getting older, their dependence on their children increases significantly.

However, due to the lack of opportunities for young people in this state, many parents from migrant backgrounds in South Australia have been disadvantaged when their kids move interstate to seek better career, education options and lifestyles. When this happens, we see many volunteers in culturally and linguistically diverse community organisations taking on roles as substitutes for the departed children of these migrant families. Over time, if more and more young South Australians choose to migrate away from our state, we will see more pressure placed on our volunteers and our social welfare system.

Having family members around strengthens a household. The large flow of young migrants (many of them high achievers who are in the workforce) leaving South Australia can have a negative impact on a migrant's family unit. It can affect the health and wellbeing of the more elderly migrant parents. In addition, the lack of participation and contribution of our multicultural youth would also affect the long-term sustainability and vibrancy of South Australia's multicultural community.

Statistical data obtained from the ABS indicates that a large proportion of young people in South Australia are leaving the state to pursue other opportunities, especially those between the age of 20 and 30. In the last decade under Labor, South Australia has seen an average net migration loss of approximately 3,000 people per annum to other states. As the shadow parliamentary secretary for small business, I have serious concerns about South Australian businesses and industries missing out on employing our best and brightest young people because they are heading interstate.

Under a decade of Labor mismanagement, ranging from massive cost of living increases to being the highest taxed state in Australia, South Australia has the worst business confidence in the nation. Small businesses in South Australia are struggling under the highest taxes and the worst workers compensation scheme in Australia.

For 10 years now, Labor has failed to manage the state's budget and invest for the future. Since Labor has been in power, the number of advertised job vacancies has halved and almost one in three young South Australian full-time job seekers are unable to find work.

The data collected by my office shows that the large flow of young people leaving South Australia comes from the 20 to 29 age group, which includes university graduates seeking employment for the first time as well as current employees seeking further advancement in their professional field.

Due to poor governance, bad policies and bad decisions, the Labor government has failed to set up an attractive business environment to attract large corporations and encourage local businesses to expand. As we know, Santos is probably the only major corporation with its head office here in South Australia. Capable young people who have the desire to climb the corporate ladder and gain senior positions simply do not have many places to send their CV. Young people who have the ambition to work for large corporations have no choice but to seek work interstate.

Furthermore, South Australia's relatively small population has resulted in fewer industries being set up locally. This has also contributed largely to the extraordinary flow of young people away from the state. As a result, we are losing a talented and capable workforce to other states, which will be used in the development of corporations and stronger industries in states and territories other than South Australia. This will have a long-term damaging effect for South Australia as a whole.

The flow of young people moving away from South Australia will continue to result in a smaller base of skilled people within the state, making us less competitive. This will have a negative impact on the development of South Australian enterprises and industries and it will, in turn, decrease the career opportunities available for South Australians.

The other major concern is that the overwhelming majority of individuals moving away from South Australia are professionals. They are evidently moving interstate to advance their chosen profession. The lack of highly skilled and experienced professionals in South Australia makes us weak and vulnerable as a state. The lack of professionals means that we have limited capacity to build a strong and innovative workforce. This will restrict South Australian businesses and industries to compete nationally and internationally.

If this trend continues, certain professions, skills and expertise will be directly lost in many industries and it will indirectly affect other industries. This would be very detrimental to the development of South Australia as a sustainable and vibrant state.

Government is responsible for creating a healthy environment where businesses have the confidence to operate without unreasonable tax burdens and regulations, yet the cost of doing business and the cost of living is higher in South Australia than in any other state in the nation. The fast exodus of young people from South Australia will only contribute further to the state's issues regarding the significantly ageing population. This will lead to obvious economic and social repercussions, which the Labor government will have to address.

After a decade of Labor mess, it is time for the Labor government to acknowledge its failure to develop opportunities for young people, causing the extraordinary flow of young people leaving South Australia for study, career and lifestyle opportunities interstate. I thank the Hon. Michelle Lensink for bringing this motion to the council and I support it.

Debate adjourned on motion of Hon. G.A. Kandelaars.