South Australia's 'unmentionable' problems

Adelaide has plenty of good ideas but it lacks implementation experience to realise success. Much strategic planning by the state government is a 'wish list' branded as economic priorities but there is no detail on how it will achieve these objectives. There is also evidence of 'blocking' and group think by executives in the public service and post secondary education sector.

The University City Project was an excellent idea that struggled to get off the ground. Adelaide's three major universities and Carnegie Mellon, University College London and Torrens University (Laureate) offer a unique postgraduate experience. Unfortunately many researchers in Adelaide's three main universities work in silos and the same courses are offered in triplicate. Premier Jay Weatherill deserted the initiative.

Pittsburgh, the home of Carnegie Mellon, suffered the collapse of its famous steel and electronics industries in the 1970s and 80s. The headquarters of its large companies moved interstate or offshore. Sound familiar? Deindustrialization in Pittsburgh was a protracted and painful experience. No federal government was going to bail them out. It was change or die.

In the late 1980s, Pittsburgh successfully used the local universities to pour state funds into technology research. With universities and private research centres sharp focus on robotics, health care, nuclear engineering, tourism, biomedical technology, finance and education, the economy grew and attracted large organisations such as Microsoft and Google. I focused on the importance of research to future state growth in an InDaily article optimistically titled SA's economic saviour is in our midst.

Pittsburgh is now the envy of many recession-plagued communities, particularly those where the automobile industry is struggling for its life. While Pittsburgh still has unemployment and population drift issues, if it hadn't changed tack in the 1980s, it would be in dire trouble. Its position was much like we are seeing in Adelaide now with Holden's imminent closure, the struggles of the Australian Submarine Corporation and businesses hitting the wall throughout SA.

The future for Adelaide is clear. Change or decay.