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Title of Presentation
Northern Mallee Community Leadership Program Pr
esentation by Peter Norden AO Adjunct
Professor RMIT University 19th August 2013
The Changing Shape of Australian Society
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ind of change?
Speaking from the background of - criminal
justice system and prisons - mental health and
drug and alcohol - community development
work - intergenerational family
disadvantage - social policy and
research (State / Federal) - public
advocacy and reform
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What kind of change?
Change is inevitable, But . can Australia
still claim to be a land of hope and
opportunity and a place which provides A FAIR
GO for all Australians?
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What kind of change?
Australias Welfare 2013 Australian Institute of
Health Welfare Where we live, our family
structure, and our levels of education, all
affect the quality of our lives and how long we
can expect to live
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What kind of change?

• Australias Welfare 2013 For richer, for
  poorer
• In 2009, 13 of the Australian population was
  classified as being in relative income poverty
  (less than 19,967 per annum disposable household
  income)
• More than half of one parent families and
  two-thirds of people aged 60 and over had
  experienced poverty for one or more years between
  2001 2009
• 22 of lower income households were considered to
  be in housing stress (that is spending more
  than 30 of gross income on housing costs) in
  2009, compared to 19 of households in 2003
• More than 105,000 people (1 in 204 Australians)
  were homeless on Census night in 2011 (56 were
  male, 17 were aged under 12, 25 were aged 45
  plus)

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(No Transcript)
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CAR Main Points

• Measures disadvantage by postcode area

• Poverty concentrated and entrenched in certain
  areas

• Strong correlations between social disadvantage
  factors

• Positive impact of social cohesion

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CAR Map Vic
Social Comparison Vic
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Local Disadvantaged Postcodes
LOCAL DISADVANTAGED POSTCODES 3523 Heathcote 3
549 Robinvale 3465 Maryborough 3595 Nyah
West 3517 Inglewood 3472 Dunolly 3556 Eaglehaw
k 3594 Nyah 3450 Castlemaine 3467 Avoca 3672 B
enalla 3584 Lake Boga
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CAR Disadvantage Factors
Social Disadvantage Factors

• Unemployment

• Child Neglect

• Long Term Unemployment

• Psychiatric Hosp. Admissions

• Low Family Income

• Court Convictions

• Early School Leaving

• Imprisonment

• Year 12 Incomplete

• Mortality

• Low Work Skills

• Disability/Sickness Allowance

• Low Birth Weight

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CAR Spac Comp Vic
Spatial Compression of Disadvantage - Vic
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Criminal Justice/Human Rights Intro Slide
Criminal Justice and Human Rights The Australian
prison population has grown at 3 times the rate
of the national population over the last 20 years
(ABS 1351.0.55.031)
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Prisons new mental asylums
High Rates of Prisoners with Mental Illness

• 26 of prisoners met criteria for mental illness
• 20 - Major Depression
• 8 - Manic Depression (Bipolar)
• 7 - Schizophrenia
• 30 prisoners surveyed had attempted suicide

Source Victorian Prisoner Health Studies, DOJ,
Feb 2003, p.30 36.
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Prisons and Hep C
High Rates of Prisoners with Hepatitis C

• 58 of prisoners tested positive for Hep C Virus
• 69 of prisoners admit to injecting drugs with
  most sharing needles
• 18.5 increase in prisoners found to be HCV
  carriers
• 220,000 plus Australians already infected
• 16,000 new infections each year

Source Victorian Prisoner Health Studies, DOJ,
Feb 2003, p. 90
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Coach Community Mentoring
Community Leadership How can this
contribute? What are some approaches? What
could be expected outcomes? What factors cant
be controlled?
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CAR Social Cohesion Factors
Social Cohesion Factors
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CAR Early Sch/Unemp SC comp
Impact of Community Development Interventions
(Education)
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CAR Low Inc/Imp SC comp
Community Development Interventions Drives a
Wedge in the Cycle of Disadvantage
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CAR Unemp/Imp SC comp
Impact of Community Development Interventions
(Jobs)
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Impact of Community Development Interventions
(Children)
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How to make a difference?
HOW TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE? HOW TO HELP OUR
FAMILIES AVOID THESE PITFALLS (CRIMINAL JUSTICE
AND WELFARE DEPENDENCY)? HOW TO CREATE REAL
OPPORTUNITIES FOR A FUTURE GENERATION OF
DISADVANTAGED CHILDREN?
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Community Development Programs

• Community Development Programs
• aim to bring about change.
• in individuals, families, and communities
• to be effective, they must be sustained
• to have broader social change..
• they must also address structures

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Some Observations or Warnings
Some Observations or Warnings How do
these programs promote broader change rather
than family upward mobility alone? Where is the
role for social policy and advocacy as well as
family support?
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Australia at Crossroads

• Increased Prosperity
• Growing Social Divide
• Land of Opportunity for Some
• Increased Alienation for Others

WHAT CAN BE DONE TO SHAPE A MORE COHESIVE AND
JUST AUSTRALIAN SOCIETY?