Business SA

Business SA, South Australia’s peak Chamber of Commerce and Industry and peak Employer body, can trace its origins back to 1839, three years after the State’s proclamation, with the formation of the Adelaide Chamber of Commerce. The South Australian Chamber of Manufacturers was then established in 1869 as a lobby and support group for the State's manufacturers and the South Australian Employers' Federation formed in 1889.

In 1972 the Adelaide Chamber of Commerce and the South Australian Chamber of Manufacturers merged to form the Chamber of Commerce and Industry SA Inc. In 1993, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the South Australian Employers' Federation merged to form the South Australian Employers' Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc with a new trading name, Business SA, which was officially launched in 2000.

Historically, employer organisations in Australia originally formed as a counter balance to the industrial relations influence of the union movement and became increasingly relevant as more aggressive union tactics made it harder for individual employers to deal in good faith with their employees.

The modern-day Business SA continues to focus on ensuring employers get fair outcomes on industrial relations matters. However, we also work to ensure the broader economic environment is conducive to successful business in an increasingly globalised economy which requires local businesses to be highly cost competitive. While Business SA is a State based organisation, we recognise the need to work at a broader level to progress policy issues of national significance, and we are a foundation member of the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Australia’s peak business advocacy body.

We offer a range of products, services and training to assist businesses to get on with the job and reach their potential, including in export markets. Our events provide excellent networking opportunities with Business SA’s membership stretching across every sector of commerce and industry.

No differently to when our predecessor organisations first formed in the 19th century, we continue to lobby on behalf of our members’ without fear or favour to Local, State and Federal Governments and their stakeholders, to ensure that the collective voice of business is both heard and understood. Being funded by member subscriptions and our products and services, Business SA is proud to be entirely independent of any government or political party. This enables us to take long term positions on policy issues in the interest of business, not just align with the political cycle at any given point in time.

We exist so that individual businesses can raise issues without fear of being targeted by unions or unfairly treated by governments. We have always worked for South Australian businesses and employers and the prosperity of our State. With the continued support of paying member businesses, we always will.