Stronger evidence, better decisions, improved health and welfare

On average, mental health has a greater impact on life satisfaction than physical health Over one million people received support from aged care services in Australia in 2019–20 The number of income support recipients in June 2021 was 7.4% higher than in March 2020, before the onset of COVID-19 The pandemic saw unemployment rise but it recovered to below pre-pandemic levels by July 2021 1 in 6 women and 1 in 16 men have experienced physical or sexual violence by a current/previous partner Approximately 4.4 million Australians or 18% of the population had some form of disability in 2018 At 25 June 2021, 5.4 million people aged 16 and over received an income support payment From 2008 to 2021, NAPLAN mean scores have generally improved across all domains, except writing Governments in Australia spent $195.7 billion on welfare services and support in 2019–20 The per cent of Australians experiencing severe psychological distress has increased since the onset of the pandemic The proportion of Indigenous households living in overcrowded conditions fell from 16% in 2001 to 10% in 2016 There were around 802,000 people living in social housing in 2019–20 Pause