Strengthening communities, supporting families and social inclusion

A changing Australia

Australia is an ageing society. More people are living longer and enjoying long and relatively healthy retirements. Our birth rate is relatively low.

Migration will continue to be a short-term solution to skills shortages and will see people arriving from emerging economies such as India and China as well as traditional sources of migrants from the UK and NZ.

How will Australia have embraced its changing demography by 2020?

Social inclusion

While Australia is a wealthily nation, some Australians live in extreme disadvantage. Homelessness remains a significant issue. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are widely recognised to lack the same opportunities as other Australians. Many people with disabilities and long term health conditions struggle to find employment despite a booming economy.

Throughout the country there are specific locations in which poverty, illness and disability, crime and unemployment are concentrated. These are locations with the worst educational results and where too many children live in families with no working adults. Many people in these areas are not active participants in the social and economic life of the nation.

The government has committed to promote a more inclusive Australia where the most disadvantaged have the chance to participate in social and economic life. What is our vision for a more socially inclusive society by 2020? How will be get there?

Family and community life

Our families and friends continue to be important to Australians, particularly for support when times are difficult. Families provide huge levels of informal care, particularly for children and the elderly. Our families arrangements are diverse and the balance between parenting and paid work is constantly changing.

The cost of housing and access to transport directly impact on family and community life. Long commutes and lack of local employment impact on involvement in sporting, cultural and religious groups. Simple issues such as access to public space and the design of our cities and towns impact on our community life.

What vision do we have for families in 2020? How can we maintain the important source of support families provide? What should the future be for those without close contact with their families?

Social services

Social and community services operate across the country, providing everything from childrens’ services to care for the elderly. Many focus on specific issues such as housing, recreation, drug and alcohol rehabilitation or the needs of specific groups of people such as women, newly arrived refugees or people with disabilities. Services are organised under different arrangements, with funding from governments, philanthropics or community fundraising. What should the social services system look like in 2020 and beyond? Are there common reforms that need to be made to support a more socially inclusive Australia?

Background paper

A background paper for this topic is provided below in PowerPoint and PDF format. Links to Microsoft's free PowerPoint Viewer and the free Adobe Reader software are available below.

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