Most Australians are doing well, able to participate in the various aspects of family, community and economic life. However, some groups experience comparatively more disadvantage or situations that place them at risk of missing out on the benefits others enjoy. This section focuses on some key indicators of disadvantage within our community.
Jobless families
Families in which there was no employed parent living in the household are referred to as jobless families. Parents and children living in jobless families are at increased risk of poverty, lower educational attainment and poor health. The Australian Government's social inclusion agenda has identified jobless families as a priority area for action.
In 2010, almost half (45%) of all one-parent families and 5% of all couple families with children aged 0–14 were jobless families. Over the past decade or so the rate of joblessness has fallen for both family types, in line with changes in the unemployment rate seen in the population generally.
Families with children under 15 years without an employed parent
Fast facts
The most common working arrangement for couple families with children under 15 was for both parents to be employed (61%), often with the mother working part-time.
One-third of couple families had one parent employed; usually the father.
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School readiness varies
The Australian Early Development Index (AEDI) collects information on five developmental domains at school entry, based on a teacher-completed checklist: physical health and wellbeing; social competence; emotional maturity; language and cognitive skills; and communication skills and general knowledge. The majority of Australian children were doing well in 2009, with around three-quarters (76%) of children 'on track' across all AEDI domains at Year 1 entry. However, almost one-quarter (24%) of children were considered to be 'developmentally vulnerable', suggesting that they may have difficulty in Year 1.
Some groups of children were more likely than others to be classified as developmentally vulnerable, including Indigenous children, children living in areas of the lowest socioeconomic status (SES), and children from language backgrounds other than English.
Children developmentally vulnerable on one or more AEDI domains, 2009
Young people in the juvenile justice system
Almost three in every 1,000 young Australians were under juvenile justice supervision on an average day in 2009–10. Most of those under supervision were under community-based supervision, with 15% in detention. Males were almost five times as likely to be under supervision as females.
Young people who were from disadvantaged areas were more likely to be under supervision than those from more advantaged areas. Those from areas of the lowest socioeconomic status (SES) were five times as likely to be under supervision as those living in the highest SES areas. Supervision rates were also much higher in remote areas than in major cities.
Young people aged 10–17 years under juvenile justice supervision, 2009–10
Note: Breakdown by SES excludes data for Western Australia and the Northern Territory.
Fast facts
Two out of every five young people under juvenile justice supervision in 2009–10 were Aboriginal and Torrest Strait Islanders, including half of those in detention.
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Low income households in housing stress
The cost of housing can place a significant burden on the household budget, reducing the funds available for other types of expenditure. Housing affordability is of particular concern for low income households, who may have less capacity to reduce their discretionary spending. A low income household that spends more than 30% of its gross (before-tax) income on housing costs is considered to be in housing stress.
In 2007–08, more than one in five low income households were in housing stress, including more than two in five low income households that were paying off a mortgage or renting in the private market.
Low income households in housing stress, 2007–08
Fast facts
Most Australians aged 65 or over had low housing costs in 2007–08. However, for low income older people living alone in private rental accommodation, the average housing cost was 44% of their gross income.
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People seeking assistance from specialist homelessness services
In 2009–10, specialist homelessness services provided accommodation and other support to almost 220,000 people—or one in every 100 Australians. Both the number of people and proportion of the population seeking assistance have increased since 2006–07.
Females were more likely than males to use these services, in all age groups except 65 and over. Rates of service use were highest among young people of both sexes. These patterns reflect the historical focus of specialist homelessness services on providing services for youth and for women escaping domestic violence. Although there has been an expansion of target groups over time, the majority of agencies in 2009–10 were funded primarily to deliver services to these two groups.
Clients of specialist homelessness services aged 10 years and over, 2009–10
Fast facts
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders were over-represented among users of specialist homelessness services. In 2009–10, 18% of clients were Indigenous, as were 26% of children accompanying clients.
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Groups vulnerable to homelessness
Research has shown that there are many pathways into homelessness in Australia. They include domestic violence, financial crisis, substance use problems, mental health issues and leaving care and custodial settings such as hospitals or prisons.
A separate 'youth pathway' refers to teenagers who seek assistance from specialist homelessness services because of interpersonal problems including relationship or family breakdown, domestic/family violence, sexual abuse and needing time out from their home situation.
In 2009–10, around 60% of clients of specialist homelessness services fit into one or more of these pathway groups, with the largest being adults who reported domestic violence as their main reason for seeking assistance.
Pathways into homelessness for clients of specialist homelessness services, 2009–10
Fast facts
Women made up 96% of clients in the domestic violence pathway, 63% of youth and 50% of the financial crisis group. Men were more likely to belong to the substance use, mental health and care and custodial groups.
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