WIT.0103.001.0015 ATTACHMENT TV-2 This is the attachment marked “TV-2” referred to in the witness statement of Tony Vinson dated 4 August 2015. WIT.0103.001.0016 DROPPING OFF THE EDGE 2 0 1 2015 5 Persistent communal disadvantage in Australia Tony Vinson and Margot Rawsthorne With Adrian Beavis and Matthew Ericson WIT.0103.001.0017 DROPPING OFF THE EDGE 2015 Persistent communal disadvantage in Australia Authors: Tony Vinson and Margot Rawsthorne with Adrian Beavis and Matthew Ericson 1 WIT.0103.001.0018 Jesuit Social Services PO Box 271 Richmond Victoria 3121 Ph: 03 9421 7600 www.jss.org.au Catholic Social Services Australia PO Box 326 Curtin ACT 2605 Ph: 02 6285 1366 www.cssa.org.au ISBN: 978-0-9874670-6-5 © Jesuit Social Services / Catholic Social Services Australia 2015 Publisher: Jesuit Social Services / Catholic Social Services Australia The publishers of this report would like to acknowledge the Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation and Gandel Philanthropy for supporting this important research and the publication of its findings. This publication is copyright. Except as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part of this publication may be reproduced by any process, electronic or otherwise, without permission in writing of Jesuit Social Services / Catholic Social Services Australia. Neither may information be stored in any form whatsoever without such permission. Any queries should be addressed to Jesuit Social Services / Catholic Social Services Australia. Designer: tommy gun 2 WIT.0103.001.0019 CONTENTS Acknowledgements 4 Foreword 5 Executive Summary 6 Preliminary information about this report 15 Chapter 1: Scope, nature and materials of the present study 17 Chapter 2: Choice of indicators 23 Chapter 3: New South Wales 44 Chapter 4: Victoria 58 Chapter 5: Queensland 74 Chapter 6: South Australia 85 Chapter 7: Tasmania 94 Chapter 8: Western Australia 100 Chapter 9: Northern Territory 106 Chapter 10: Australia Capital Territory 110 Chapter 11: Conclusion and recommendations 115 Bibliography 127 Technical Appendix: Loadings on first principal component factor 138 Maps 139 3 WIT.0103.001.0020 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS THE CURRENT PROJECT WAS FOUNDED IN THE ‘AGREEMENT IN PRINCIPLE’ OF THE STATE PREMIERS AND TERRITORY CHIEF MINISTERS TO COOPERATE BY PROVIDING ASSISTANCE IN THE GATHERING OF THE SOCIAL DATA REQUIRED FOR THE STUDY. A contact person was nominated within Queensland: Nathan Domrow, each jurisdiction and that person either Queensland Treasury and Trade rendered direct assistance or brought and Anthony Skinner, Queensland others who were better placed to assist Government Statistician’s Office, into contact with the researchers. It is Department of Treasury and Trade. not possible here to acknowledge all of the individuals or agencies to whom we South Australia: Dr Sanjugta Vas Dev, are indebted but there are officers and Department of the Premier and Cabinet, services whose patient and sustained and senior officers and research staff of help require special acknowledgement: the Youth Court of South Australia, and the Department for Corrective Services. New South Wales: Kent Broadhead, Sector Performance and Coordination Tasmania: Antony Deck, Social Inclusion Group, NSW Department of Premier and Unit, Department of Premier and Cabinet. Cabinet, and senior officers and research Western Australia: Jane Larke, A/ staff of the Bureau of Crime Statistics Assistant Commissioner Policy and and Research, and the Departments Strategy, Department of Corrective of Community Services and Corrective Services, Julie Dixon, Department for Services. Child Protection and Family Support, Victoria: Senior officers and research Tim Reid, Department of Health. staff of the Departments of Human Northern Territory: Senior Officers of Services and Justice. the Department of the Chief Minister. 4 WIT.0103.001.0021 FOREWORD In 2007, Jesuit Social Services and Catholic Social Services Australia commissioned ground-breaking research into place-based disadvantage across the nation. The resulting report, Dropping off the edge, built on previous work that Jesuit Social Services had engaged Professor Tony Vinson to undertake on its behalf and quickly became a critical resource for governments, service providers and communities attempting to address the challenge of entrenched and often complex geographical disadvantage. That report received over 284 scholarly alongside these communities to ensure citations and supported the establishment long term sustainable change. of the Australian Social Inclusion Board – a body charged with identifying long-term We hold hope that the young people and strategies to end poverty in Australia. future generations in these communities will have a better outlook and life Since the publication of Dropping off the opportunities than is currently available edge, our organisations have received to them. It is our belief that every Australian many requests to update the findings should have access to the opportunities and produce a new report tracking the in life that will enable them to flourish – to wellbeing of communities in Australia complete their education, to get a job, over the intervening time. to access safe and affordable housing, to raise their children in safe communities Sadly, the current report drives home and to see the next generation thrive. the enormous challenge that lies in front of our policy makers and service Jesuit Social Services and Catholic providers, as many communities identified Social Services Australia are indebted as disadvantaged in 2007 once again to the dedication and perseverance of head the list in each state and territory. Professor Tony Vinson in leading this important research and analysis over As a society we cannot, and should the past 15 years. not, turn away from the challenge of persistent and entrenched locational Julie Edwards disadvantage, no matter how difficult Chief Executive Officer it may be to solve the problem. Jesuit Social Services We call on government, community and Marcelle Mogg business to come together to work Chief Executive Officer Catholic Social Services Australia 5 WIT.0103.001.0022 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY THIS PROJECT IS BUILT ON A FOUNDATION OF NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH DOCUMENTING SOCIAL INFLUENCES UPON DISADVANTAGES THAT LIMIT PEOPLE’S LIFE OPPORTUNITIES. Particular acknowledgement is made conducted throughout 2014, has used of the World Health Organisation’s a total of 22 indicators to study the documentation of the social determinants geographic distribution of disadvantage of health but the findings of numerous throughout six Australian States and researches spanning fields as diverse two Territories. Some data has been as health, education, employment and derived from sources like the Australian criminology, have converged upon a Bureau of Statistics, NAPLAN, and the set of general insights into the onset Australian Early Development Index, but and sustainment of disadvantage. Poor considerable trouble has been taken social and economic circumstances to systematically secure additional affect people’s prospects of fulfilment information about important aspects throughout life. Disadvantages tend to of social disadvantage (like confirmed concentrate among the same people child maltreatment and psychiatric and their effects on health and life admissions) from state and territory opportunities are cumulative. That government human service agencies. Australian children do not escape the social influences upon their wellbeing The rationale for choosing particular is reflected in findings of the Growing Up indicators is presented in some detail in in Australia longitudinal study. the text but two criteria have especially been emphasised, namely, that the While there has been a particular indicator has an established research research emphasis on the interplay provenance, and that it has a bearing of social and biological factors, three on the limiting of life opportunities. For earlier publications in the present series, example, low family income is a central Unequal in Life (1999), Community factor in shaping individual and family life Adversity and Resilience (2004), and opportunities. The research evidence is Dropping Off the Edge (2007), have that family income is interwoven with the charted the vulnerability of Australian influence of other forms of disadvantage neighbourhoods to a range of material, represented by the range of indicators behavioural, and educational forms included in the present study. With of disadvantage as well as those regard to disability support, there is related to ‘health.’ The present project, frequently pre-existing disadvantage 6 WIT.0103.001.0023 among people who become disabled. In addition, there is the impact of disability onset itself, and the consequences of remaining disabled. Child maltreatment can have grave short, medium and long-term consequences for individual life opportunities. Police and prison statistics indicate that the bulk of crimes are committed by people from low socioeconomic backgrounds with limited formal education. Extended education is negatively associated with early family formation, child abuse and neglect, and unemployment. Similar rationales lie behind the selection of the project’s 22 indicators which have been given the following operational definitions: Variable name Description Internet access proportion of households without access to the internet in each counting area Housing stress proportion of households allocating 30% or more of income to housing costs in each counting area