• NSW retail chain eyes Adelaide opening
• Accommodation for seasonal harvest workers fast-tracked
• SA games standout at PAX Australia
• Lot Fourteen to forecast space weather
• SA events peak body changes name
• Leaders to speak at Adelaide wellness event

NSW retail chain eyes Adelaide opening

National toy retailer Toymate will open its first South Australian store this weekend.

The Sydney-based retail chain, which has stores across New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia and the ACT, will on Saturday cut the ribbon on a 1500 square metre retail space within Noarlunga’s Colonnades Shopping Centre.

The company says the southern suburbs store will create 50 jobs and have more than 10,000 toys lining its shelves.

The new store represents the 24th in the Toymate network. Photo: supplied

CEO Daniel Bloom, who founded Toymate in 2005, said the company was committed to national expansion.

“We are thrilled to bring a new brand of toy shopping to South Australian families. Our stores deliver an immersive shopping experience, like no other,” he said.

“We have an existing national footprint of 23 stores, the launch of the 24th and first Toymate store in South Australia reflects Toymate’s commitment to growing our store network across the country.”

Accommodation for seasonal harvest workers fast-tracked

The Malinauskas Government has made changes to the state’s planning laws to fast-track temporary workers’ accommodation in a bid to make seasonal work in regional South Australia more accessible.

The change removes the requirement for bulk handlers and farmers to obtain planning consent for temporary accommodation proposals in specified areas and changes the approvals process so development applications are assessed by the State Planning Commission rather than councils.

The regulation change follows calls from companies like bulk grain handler Viterra for more accommodation as many regional hotels and motels are already booked out in anticipation of the harvest season.

Minister for Primary Industries Clare Scriven said the renewed planning regulations ensure harvest workers will be accommodated nearby.

“This year we want to ensure there are no barriers getting in the way of attracting workers to our regions,” Scriven said in a statement.

Viterra forecasts South Australian growers will produce the second-largest crop on record, and at current pricing it will be the most valuable on record.

The company said it is recruiting 1650 seasonal workers across its network this harvest season.

Viterra chief operations officer James Murray said: “The approval of the temporary accommodation will greatly assist the hiring of harvest workers in more remote locations where permanent accommodation is difficult to find.”

The change to planning regulations came into effect on Thursday, October 6, and will apply to specific locations in Rudall, Pinnaroo, Witera, Port Giles, Kimba, Wolseley, Bowmans and Snowtown.

– Alison Hall

SA games standout at PAX Australia

Box Knight has taken home an award at the PAX Australia gaming expo. Image: supplied

South Australian-made video games have been named among the best at Melbourne gaming expo event PAX Australia.

Adelaide games Box Knight from We Made A Thing Studios and Rooftop Renegade from Melonhead Games were selected among six winners of the PAX Indie Showcase, supported by the South Australian Film Corporation (SAFC).

Box Knight is described by its developers as a “funny, silly and irreverent action RPG roguelike” that is a “mix of ‘The Office’ and ‘Lord of the Rings’”.

Rooftop Renegade puts gamers in the shoes of a hover blading outlaw who has the ability to portal through time as she tries to escape her enemies.

A still of South Australian-made game Rooftop Renegades. Image: supplied

Both games were on show at PAX Australia in a dedicated space for independent games from small studios.

South Australian Film Corporation chief executive officer Kate Croser said both Box Knight and Rooftop Renegade were developed with support from the first round of the SAFC’s inaugural Games funding and now were achieving national success.

“The SAFC is committed to supporting South Australia’s thriving game development sector as a part of our overall support for the state’s screen industry – from our Games Innovation Fund launched in 2019, to our nation-leading SA Video Game Development Rebate launched in 2020.”

– Claudia Dicheria

Lot Fourteen to forecast space weather

The Bureau of Meteorology has opened a new centre in Lot Fourteen which will offer 24/7 space weather forecasting and warning services.

Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek opened the Australian Space Weather Forecasting Centre in Adelaide on Thursday, October 6.

The BoM said the new centre will allow industry to prepare for, and respond to, space weather events.

Minister for Environment and Water Tanya Plibersek was in Adelaide today to open the @BOM_au Australian Space Weather Forecasting Centre at @LotFourteen. #auspol pic.twitter.com/l7WJkHHiaa

— 10 News First Adelaide (@10NewsFirstAdl) October 6, 2022

Space weather can affect communications, GPS, energy supply, aviation and other critical infrastructure, with the expansion to improve industry and government’s understanding of space weather events, the BoM said.

Centre operations manager Dr Kate Brand said the Adelaide centre can predict “how events on the Sun might affect us here on Earth”.

“The Sun’s turbulent activity is the main source of space weather. Solar events that cause space weather impact include solar flares, coronal mass ejections and particle radiation events,” Brand said.

SA events peak body changes name

Adelaide business events peak body the Adelaide Convention Bureau has changed its name to “Business Events Adelaide”.

The industry membership organisation says the change comes after its role was continually being mistaken for being “primarily restricted to conventions”.

CEO Damien Kitto said the new name was “far more suited to our role” and better defines the “broader scope and economic value of the services we can offer”.

“As Business Events Adelaide we will continue as an independent not for profit economic driver through our strong capabilities,” Kitto wrote in an email to members.

“We will attract, across the broad sector, business events to Adelaide and South Australia including; meetings, conventions, conferences, exhibitions, seminars and corporate incentives.”

– Claudia Dicheria

Leaders to speak at Adelaide wellness event

City of Adelaide chief executive officer Clare Mockler, Woods Bagot Principal Rosina Di Mari and author Effie Zahos headline the list of panellists at WellFest Adelaide’s Leaders’ Luncheon this week.

The October 14 event at the National Wine Centre will provide tips on promoting healthy workplaces and improving productivity and creativity.

“WellFest Adelaide’s Leaders’ Luncheon is a must-attend event on the business calendar in October,” Adelaide Economic Development Agency managing director Ian Hill said.

“We’re delighted to have Effie Zahos as keynote speaker to share her expertise on making money matters simple and giving us fresh insights into how to make the most of our finances.”

The event is part of WellFest Adelaide 2022, an AEDA program of events running from October 7 to 30.

Tickets for the luncheon are $165 per person or $1500 for a table of 10.