A billion reasons to be creative in South Australia

Digital media is just one example of creative activities that impact on the broader economy.
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Tuesday, 26 February 2008

Creative industries directly inject more than to $1.2 billion into South Australia's economy each year and employ more than 25,000 people, according to University of Adelaide research.

Preliminary findings of a three-year University study into the value of the State's creative industries will be presented to key government, business and artistic leaders this Thursday 28 February at the Art Gallery of SA.

The multi-disciplinary project team, which includes expertise from the University's humanities and commerce schools, has found that around five per cent of all businesses in South Australia - almost 8000 in total - are involved in creative activities.

The half-day forum will discuss the size, composition and future prospects of South Australia's creative economy which includes: the advertising and marketing sector; design; film and television; music; performing arts; publishing and literature, software, web and multimedia development; and visual arts and crafts.

One of the Chief Investigators, Dr Chika Anyanwu, a Senior Lecturer in Media, says creative industries contribute not only to the cultural and social capital of society, but are also increasingly important to the economy.

"Previous studies conducted in South Australia have significantly under-estimated the size of creative industries by as much as 60%," Dr Anyanwu says. "We estimate that more than 25,000 people are employed in the creative workface, which represents around 4% of the State's total workforce."

Up to 300 creative artists, businesses and key stakeholders were interviewed as part of the research project.

Associate Professor Barry Burgan, another Chief Investigator and Head of the University of Adelaide Business School, says that financial and employment data collected in the surveys will be used as part of an innovative business model to map industry interactions. "This will enable us to gain a better understanding of how such creative activities impact on the broader economy," Professor Burgan says.

Dr Anwanyu says the project has uncovered some important issues facing the State's creative industries. "Education and training, and professional and financial support are all critical to the industry's future growth prospects. Our findings will hopefully inform future government policy and strategies in this area."

The University of Adelaide study, Creative Economy: Investigating South Australia's Creative Industries, has been funded by the Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage Program.

Additional financial support has been provided by key industry partners, including the SA Department of Trade and Economic Development.

WHAT: Creative Economy: Investigating South Australia's Creative Industries

WHEN: Thursday 28 February, 2008, 9.30am-1.30pm

WHERE: Art Gallery of South Australia

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