FIRST REPORT BY FEDERAL SOCIAL INCLUSION BOARD HIGHLIGHTS NATURE OF MULTIPLE DISSADVANTAGE FOR MOST VULNERABLE AUSTRALIANS

The first report by the Federal Government’s Social Inclusion Board has identified that approximately 5% of Australians aged 15 years and older experience three or more types of disadvantage; the base mark for social exclusion.

The report also indicates that while most Australians live well, some groups experience disproportionate levels of disadvantage. The Board reported that 15% of all Australian children live in jobless families, whilst the life expectancy of Indigenous Australians is 10 to 12 years lower than Non-Indigenous Australians. 

Furthermore, the report identifies that disadvantage in one area is often associated with disadvantage in other aspects of life. Findings include:
 Low income households often have poorer health and/or more difficulty accessing transport and other essential services
 35% of people with low incomes reported fair or poor health compared to only 7% of those with high incomes
 10% of people with low incomes have difficulty accessing transport compared to only 1% of people with high incomes
 People with low incomes are less likely to have access to the internet at home (33% compared 85% with high incomes)

Low socioeconomic status was also found to be associated with lower levels of involvement in many aspects of community engagement. People living in the most disadvantaged 20% of the nation are shown to be much less likely to be unemployed, more likely to have children who are developmentally vulnerable, less likely to have year 12 or equivalent at age 20 to 24, less likely to participate in a community group and less likely to have a say in decisions that affect them.

The Chair of the Australian Social Inclusion Board, Patricia Faulkner AO, says the report is intended to guide the consideration of approaches to achieving greater inclusion through a focus on:
 The multidimensional character of disadvantage (one source of disadvantage can often lead to disadvantage in other areas)
 The locational aspects of disadvantage (people experiencing disadvantage often live near each other, sometimes exacerbating their disadvantage)
 The entrenched and sometimes inter-generational aspects of disadvantage
The Board will be presenting on the key findings of the report at the inaugural Social Inclusion Conference on 28-29 January 2010 at the Melbourne Convention Centre.

To download the report click here