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This research report identifies and describes the level of social disadvantage in Australian society. The research indicates that pockets of concentrated and severe social disadvantage have now become entrenched across rural and remote as well as suburban Australia. The report contains statistically reliable and consistent information about every population centre on more than 20 different disadvantage factors and an analysis of the data shows how and where public policy can be effectively used to overcome these long-terms problems of entrenched, intergenerational patterns of disadvantage. Show less

This report is the fifth in a series spanning more than 20 years of research into locational disadvantage. The report examines communities in every Australian state and territory to identify pockets of entrenched location-based disadvantage and the unique web of challenges these communities face. It provides an unparalleled picture of where disadvantage is concentrated, how various forms of disadvantage overlap, and how disadvantage becomes entrenched and difficult to escape. Through the findings of this report, the aim is to: keep the reality of location-based disadvantage before the Australian community; identify any shifts in the relative fortunes of some localities; contribute to strategic thinking about effective remedial policies; and give community service partners and organisations up-to-date information to guide and assist their work. This information can help governments, decision-makers and communities to set priorities and target resources to effectively reduce the most severe disadvantage.

The 2021 report shows that disadvantage is concentrated in a small and disproportionate number of communities in each state and territory. When looking at where disadvantaged communities are located in each state or territory, it becomes evident that, in general, disadvantage is experienced in regional and remote areas. The research shows many of the most disadvantaged locations are severely disadvantaged on multiple indicators. This shows that disadvantage is often multilayered and deep. The 2021 report saw the introduction of two new domains of indicators: intergenerational and environmental data. The new indicators in these domains were teen pregnancy, children in households with no parent in paid work, particulate matter (poor air quality), green canopy coverage, declared nature reserves and heat vulnerability. While this current report shows that the pattern of entrenched disadvantage in each state and territory is persistent over time, change can be achieved when the inter-related factors causing disadvantage are understood and community-led solutions are properly resourced.

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This research report measures the concentration of disadvantage according to postcode areas in New South Wales (NSW) and Victoria. It also seeks to identify characteristics of local communities faced with severe social disadvantage that could be promoted to build greater social cohesion rather than social exclusion. The report suggests that some communities that are marked by social disadvantage are not necessarily communities lacking inner strengths and the potential to progress given reasonable opportunities. In general, the report demonstrates little change in the four years since a similar study was undertaken in 1999. The chapters are: Executive summary; Social geography and disadvantage; Literature update, choice of indicators and procedures; Concentration of disadvantage; Interconnections between indicators; Towards the assessment of social cohesion. Includes preliminary information, bibliography and appendices. The CD-ROM contains three types of information that supplement the data presented in the printed report: (1) maps showing the distribution of specific forms of disadvantage throughout Victoria and NSW with the capacity to zoom in on particular regions and display detailed attribute information for single postcode areas; (2) a complete set of relative disadvantage rankings for all postcodes in both states with a detailed listing of place names for each postcode; and (3) the life stories of a number of women who live in Windale (NSW) representing an extension of the case study presented in chapter one of the report. Show less

In 2007 Jesuit Social Services and Catholic Social Services Australia sponsored an Australia-wide study of the geographic distribution of social disadvantage throughout our country. Called 'Dropping off the edge', the research followed earlier similar projects that focused on Victoria and New South Wales, and employed 25 indicators (or 'signposts') of established relevance to this type of inquiry. The aim was to gauge the extent to which manifestations of social disadvantage were markedly concentrated, thereby constituting a localised environment that limits the beneficial impact of standard social services.

The two sponsors decided that a replication of the project could serve to (i) keep the reality of geographic concentrations of disadvantage before the Australian community; (ii) identify any shifts in the relative fortunes of some localities and illuminate the reasons for their occurrence; (iii) by refined analyses of the patterns of interconnections between the indicator variables, contribute to strategic thinking about effective remedial policies; and (iv) furnish community service partners and organisations with up-to-date information to guide and assist their endeavours.

This report updates statistical information about the distribution of social disadvantage across Australia published in 2007. The outcomes of the study are detailed in chapters devoted to each state and territory. The report aims to: provide a first picture of where disadvantage is concentrated; present a snapshot of what attributes dispose an area to be highly disadvantaged; look beneath the surface for patterns of connectedness between the indicators; use information about what the indicators share in common to devise a single social disadvantage score for each locality within each jurisdiction; and combine the rank orders within the states and territories to identify highly disadvantaged localities warranting national as well as state and territory attention.

Much has occurred in the various jurisdictions and across Australia between 2007 and 2014. The authors argue that four waves of research over a 15 year period (1999-2014) have served to confirm the enduring cumulative social disadvantage of a relatively small number of localities across Australia. There are still a number of communities where existing social services, though they may largely work for the majority of the population, are failing to make a real difference. The report proposes that a new approach targeted at reducing the most severe deep-seated disadvantage is needed. This response needs to be coordinated across government and departmental portfolios and in partnership with the communities themselves as well as business and social services.

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This report examines social disadvantage in Australian society using information from a range of different sources, including the Australian Bureau of Statistics and data already collected by state government authorities. It provides a postcode map of social disadvantage in Victoria and New South Wales. The 622 postcode areas in Victoria and the 578 postcode areas in New South Wales are compared against 10 indicators of social disadvantage, including unemployment, education, income and crime. The frequency with which the same locations appeared on the different indices reflected the cumulative score of social disadvantage given to each postcode area. The study is part of efforts to raise awareness in Australian society of the extent to which social disadvantage is becoming entrenched within certain neighbourhoods and to identify ways to address such disadvantage. Show less