I continue to review the current context of the Australian innovation system to community the current economic profile and am finding getting the context into a few succinct paragraphs to be a challenge. Below are some working graphs.

First I look at the percentage of businesses that are outside the metro area by state and employment size. A few observations without opinion, as the cause is tied up in industry sector distribution and headquarter reporting location. There is a higher likelihood for mid-sized business to be regional across most states. Queensland is unique in having a greater percentage of non-city centre companies compared to the total business population.

Second, I looked at business entries and exit by location. Businesses are more likely to start and end in the city. This is likely due to population density and higher churn rates, although other cultural aspects may be considered.

I am then looking at distribution of industry sector by region, and employment and economic contribution by sector. Regional areas have lower sector diversity and a need for economic diversification.

I also looked at the federal investment into R&D over time, and specifically the recent decline.