SA: State pride takes a dip in SA

AAP General News (Australia)
02-14-2006
SA: State pride takes a dip in SA

ADELAIDE, Feb 14 AAP - State pride in South Australia has taken a battering falling
to its lowest level in four years, according to a bank survey.

The latest Bank SA state monitor report found state pride among consumers fell nine
percentage points to 80 per cent last month while among businesses the slide was 11 per
cent, also to 80 per cent.

Bank SA managing director Rob Chapman said state pride rarely wavered but had taken
a significant blow recently with the delay in the opening of Adelaide's new airport terminal
the key reason.

Problems with electricity blackouts in hot weather and issues with the delivery of
new trams for the city were other reasons cited by survey participants.

"We'd expect this to be a temporary swing, as the vast majority of people are still
proud of SA," Mr Chapman said.

"We're likely to see a bounce back in the next survey, especially with the airport
getting the green light," Mr Chapman said.

"However, in the short term it's certainly knocked overall confidence levels, particularly
among consumers who are also battling high petrol prices and post-Christmas debts."

Mr Chapman said the Bank SA survey also indicated a softening in consumer spending
was likely over the next six months although employment prospects remained strong.

Many companies surveyed expected to employ more people with 69 per cent of business
owners predicting a significant improvement in their performance in the next six months.

The Bank SA survey is conducted three times each year and quizzes 300 consumers and
300 businesses across the state.

AAP tjd/maur

KEYWORD: PRIDE

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