The Adelaide Establishment is the name given to the group of landowners and industrialists who have played a considerable role in the history of South Australia since its foundation in 1836. Based primarily in South Australia's capital Adelaide, the Adelaide Establishment has been referred to as economically, politically and socially conservative and seeking to preserve a rigid social hierarchy and laissez-faire economic system.[1]
While the power of the Adelaide Establishment has waned over the decades, members continue to play a role in the running of Adelaide and South Australia.
The name "Adelaide Establishment" is derived from the term "The Establishment", denoted to mean a network of prominent, well-connected people who exercise power.[2]