Committee for Adelaide

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. 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[4] and by Professor David Lloyd, the Vice Chancellor and President of the University of South Australia in August 2019.[5] The first General Manager of the Committee for Adelaide was Timothy Horton[6] who was followed by Matt Clemow[7] in 2014. The first full-time Chief Executive Officer of the Committee, Jodie van Deventer,[8] began in September 2016. At the time of her appointment, Ms van Deventer said the narrative around Adelaide needed to change for the city to grow.[9]

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.

“This is about growing our population, creating new business and investment opportunities, creating a new narrative for the state and tapping into valuable international and interstate networks for the good of our city,” Committee for Adelaide chief executive officer Jodie van Deventer said at the time of the launch.[21]

The Committee for Adelaide is often quoted by all forms of 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, Dr 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... We’ve had the view since before the announcement of the Royal Commission that it was very important the committee has a view on uranium and it’s settled. We went to the Royal Commission and said ‘How can we help?’ We were very clear if there was community interface that’s needed, we’re happy to play a part in that.”

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]

The Committee for Adelaide has four different tiers of membership, Platinum, Corporate, Small Enterprise Member and Associate Member.[44]

Board Members

As of November 2020, the Committee's board membership includes:[45]

• Professor David Lloyd (Chair)
• Alicia Genet (Deputy Chair)
• Trevor Cooke (Deputy Chair)
• Nicola Craven (Treasurer)
• Caillin Howard
• Alison Surjan
• Morna Young

Committee for Melbourne