One of my work colleagues husband is a crane operator and has been for a long time. In recent times he has been made redundant several times, currently he is working but not in Adelaide, somewhere in WA I think. He is Australian and struggled to find work so I don't want to sound like the voice of doom but I don't think your partner's chances sound too promising. On another note I think the obligation to stay in SA is a moral one and if you cannot find work you can move interstate freely enough although obviously it's a huge upheaval. Good luck.