• Daily Rex flights between Adelaide and Brisbane incoming
• Latest data shows extent of rental crisis in regional South Australia
• Adelaide’s CBD office market continues to outperform
• Wirra Wirra wines made available to all US states
• New device improves accuracy in pacemaker surgery
• Young workers sought to fill 70,000 railway jobs gap

Daily Rex flights between Adelaide and Brisbane incoming

From October 30, airline Rex will offer daily direct flights between Adelaide and Brisbane – its third new route launched in the last three months.

It means Adelaide is now connected to Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane via Rex, with the new route to be operated by a Boeing 737-800NG.

The flights will provide an additional 128,000 seats per year between Adelaide and Brisbane, according to Rex.

Adelaide Airport managing director Brenton Cox said the new service was “very timely”.

“Rex has opened a further pipeline for Queenslanders to discover South Australia and once again has created more choice for South Australian travellers heading to Queensland – this is on the back of its recently introduced services to Melbourne and Sydney,” Cox said.

“Adelaide Airport is back to pre-pandemic domestic passenger numbers and climbing so this new service is very timely. Rex has been a great supporter of ours for many years and we look forward to further market expansion in the near future.”

Fares for the route will launch at $149 one way.

– David Simmons

Latest data shows extent of rental crisis in regional South Australia

A report released by the South Australian Council of Social Service (SACOSS) shows the rental crisis in regional SA is similar to that of Adelaide with comparable price increases and levels of unaffordability.

State government rental bond data shows most rents in regional areas were well above the “30 per cent of income” affordability threshold for single people on JobSeeker, the Age Pension and the minimum wage.

You might like

Archive

The one-legged guide to ageing well

Archive

Reserve Bank tipped to hold interest rates despite inflation fall

Regional rent for a two-bedroom unit increased by 10.6 per cent similar to Adelaide’s increase of 10.8 per cent, while regional rent for a three-bedroom house increased by 12.5 per cent – a higher rate than Adelaide’s 12.2 per cent increase.

SACOSS Director of Policy and Advocacy Rebecca Tooher said there is also a lack of available rentals with 35 per cent fewer properties let in regional South Australia in the June Quarter this year compared to a decade ago.

 “The state government needs to move quickly to address the failure of the rental market to provide stable and affordable housing in regional South Australia,” Tooher said.

“This would begin by immediately capping rent price increases to CPI (consumer price index), but the government also needs to increase investment in public and community housing even beyond the modest proposals already announced.

You might like

Archive

The one-legged guide to ageing well

Archive

Reserve Bank tipped to hold interest rates despite inflation fall

 “Finally, given the impact of short-stay AirBnB type accommodation taking properties out of the residential market, both the state government and local councils should look at imposing vacancy taxes or rate surcharges on properties standing idle.”

The full Cost of Living Update is available on the SACOSS website.

– Elisabeth Marie

Adelaide’s CBD office market continues to outperform

JLL Research (JLL) – a global commercial real estate investment management company – has found Adelaide’s office leasing market recorded 3000 square metres of positive net absorption in the second quarter of 2023.

Simultaneously, Adelaide office rents continue to rise as prime gross rents increased by 4.3 per cent over the 12 months to June 2023.

The overall CBD vacancy fell to 16 per cent from its peak of 16.5 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2022 – which JLL said is another positive for the market.

A summary of the JLL figures indicates the CBD prime office vacancy rate hit 18.4 per cent while the secondary office space vacancy was the lowest in a decade at 14.2 per cent.

JLL Director Rick Warner said the rise in prime office vacancy has been propelled by new supply and not a lack of demand.

“While better quality office space is leasing quickly, 2023 has seen new developments complete at a faster rate than the market can absorb them, which has increased vacancy,” he said.

– Anastasia Savvas

Wirra Wirra wines made available to all US states

McLaren Vale winery Wirra Wirra has obtained an exclusive deal with the world’s largest family-owned wine company E. & J. Gallo Winery (Gallo) – a United States-based winery and distributor.

The US market proves challenging for South Australian wineries to navigate due to the highly controlled system for alcohol distribution.

This agreement provides Wirra Wirra direct access to all 50 states across the US market and ensures their products are stocked in restaurants and supermarkets.

The two-year deal will exclusively import Wirra Wirra’s premium Shiraz, Grenache and Cabernet Sauvignon.

The US is the largest wine-consuming market in the world with this opportunity furthering the SA wine region’s world-class status.

– Lauren Mills

New device improves accuracy in pacemaker surgery

The OnePoint Junction Box created by the South Australian cardiovascular monitoring device company C.tech – which runs out of Flinders University – helps surgeons more accurately position the pacemaker to the heart.

The new device is available in 26 countries, including Australia, with sales currently heading for $1 million.

“These devices are impressing pacemaker implant physicians and medical device companies by bringing a new level of accuracy to routine and sometimes critical pacemaker surgeries,” says Flinders University Cardiology Research Fellow Darius Chapman.

“Our federal and state accelerator business grants have helped launch the technology, which has brought cutting-edge technology to redefine cardiac conduction pacing to revolutionise this sector of the $10 billion medical device world market.”

500 units of the first electrogram device were supplied to heart specialists, hospitals and multinationals across Australia; the success of the devices led to further focus on developing its product range through a $600,000 capital raising and staff expansion.

– Lauren Mills

Young workers sought to fill 70,000 railway jobs gap

The Australasian Railway Association (ARA) has kicked off a campaign to recruit young Australians amid a global worker shortage.

The Work in Rail campaign is designed to attract school graduates after research revealed workers under the age of 25 represented only four per cent of the industry’s workforce.

ARA chief executive Caroline Wilkie said the industry desperately needed to attract workers if it was to complete a range of state and national projects.

“With a $155 billion pipeline of projects planned in the next 15 years and an ageing workforce, it is absolutely critical we increase our numbers of younger workers,” Wilke said.

“We particularly urge young people to consider an electrical apprenticeship as there is huge growth predicted for electrical related roles over the coming decade.”

Rail projects underway in Australia include the $14.5 billion Inland Rail project, the 15.5km Sydney Metro project and the 9km Melbourne Metro Tunnel.

– Anastasia Savvas