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Legislative Council - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2017-03-28 Daily Xml
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Cost of Living

The Hon. D.G.E. HOOD (15:14): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Employment a question regarding the cost of living in Adelaide.

Leave granted.

The Hon. D.G.E. HOOD: According to the Worldwide Cost of Living 2017 report, the cost of living in Adelaide has significantly increased in the past 12 months. The report considers the price of more than 160 products and services, such as food, drink, rent, utilities and entertainment, in 132 cities across the world. Based on the findings of the report, Adelaide has moved up substantially—in fact, 18 ranking points—to now rank number 35, which means Adelaide is the 35th most expensive city in the world in which to live. My questions to the minister are simply:

1. How is it that Adelaide has moved up so substantially in such a short time?

2. What action is the government taking to reduce the cost of living in this city?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Employment, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation, Minister for Manufacturing and Innovation, Minister for Automotive Transformation, Minister for Science and Information Economy) (15:15): I thank the honourable member for his questions. I'm happy to have a look at that particular survey, and I think it would be greatly affected by the basket of goods and services that is obviously included in however they calculate their cost of living. I am also happy to go and find the breakdown for the cost of living in Adelaide in the world standard that we use, the ABS's Consumer Price Index, over that relevant period as well.

I do know that I regularly have people talk to me about some of the advantages of living and doing business in South Australia. Our relatively affordable housing is often brought up with me as one of the reasons that people appreciate living in Adelaide or make a choice to move here—or, in many cases, I find with people that I know they come back to Adelaide after periods of not having lived here. I think it was towards the end of last year that KPMG rated Adelaide as having the cheapest cost of doing business, and that factors in things like the affordability of real estate to do business.

In terms of the general cost of living, there are a whole range of programs in other ministers' areas that offer concessions for people to make sure that those who need help with living can obtain it. I am happy to go and find a range of those things we are doing across a range of portfolios, particularly to help those that are most marginalised in society with things like the cost of water and the cost of electricity.

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