Summary
Welfare, in the broadest sense, refers to the wellbeing of individuals, families and the community. A range of interrelated factors influence our welfare or wellbeing including housing, education, employment and social networks. Welfare services and assistance can help enhance wellbeing for people who require further support. Support can be informal – coming from family, friends and the community – or formal, provided by government and non-government organisations.
At a glance
This section provides a high-level overview of key findings across all chapters, and a comparison of how Australia ranks on a number of welfare measures compared to the average for Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries.
Chapter 1 Life satisfaction and connections
A person’s wellbeing and life satisfaction can be influenced by environmental, social and economic factors at the individual, family and community level. Social relationships and connectedness are positively associated with wellbeing, and societies with higher levels of social cohesion and connection are healthier, more resilient to external shocks and experience greater economic growth.
This chapter includes information about life satisfaction, volunteering, social cohesion, social connection, loneliness and gambling.
Chapter 2 Education
Education has an overall positive effect on people’s wellbeing. Higher levels of education are associated with an increased likelihood of being employed, improved income, better life satisfaction and better health.
This chapter includes information about preschool and child care, school attendance levels, Year 12 attainment levels, and further non-school qualifications.
Chapter 3 Work
Work is generally associated with better physical and mental health and is a key factor in overall wellbeing. Employment can enable people to support themselves, their families and their communities and underpins economic output. However there are a range of factors that may impact a person’s ability to gain work and remain employed, which can affect some groups in the community more than others.
This chapter includes information about changes in the labour force status of Australia’s population over time, including by age and sex. It includes information on changes to part time work, working from home and young people neither in work nor study.
Chapter 4 Income
Having an adequate income is an essential component in measuring individual and household wellbeing. For most people, income can be an indicator of a person’s ability to access food, clothing, education, housing and leisure activities. Adequate income can help people support themselves, their families, and their broader communities. For those needing support, Australia’s social security system aims to support people who cannot, or cannot fully, support themselves, by providing targeted payments and assistance.
This chapter includes information about wages and income, inflation, income inequality, financial stress and income support.
Chapter 5 Housing
Access to safe, adequate housing is central to the health and wellbeing of individuals and families. Secure and affordable housing is the basis for social connectedness and contributes to health and wellbeing.
This chapter describes the housing situation in Australia including home ownership, housing costs, housing stress and housing assistance (such as financial assistance and social housing). It also presents information about people experiencing or at risk of homelessness and the causes of death among people who received specialist homelessness services support in their last year of life.
Chapter 6 Disability
Increasingly, disability is recognised as something that affects most people, to varying degrees and at different life stages. A person with disability may experience an impairment, activity limitation and/or participation restriction. A range of formal and informal supports are available to people with disability, whether it is for intermittent or longer-term support.
This chapter presents information about people with disability, including differences by age, educational attainment and labour force participation, as well as some of the formal and informal supports that are available to people with disability, including the National Disability Insurance Scheme, Disability Support Pension and Disability Employment Services.
Chapter 7 Aged care
The aged care system aims to promote the wellbeing and independence of older people, by enabling them to stay in their own homes or assisting them in residential care.
This chapter describes the increasing demand for aged care, now and into the future, in the context of Australia’s ageing population. It presents information about the different types of aged care that are available, as well as waiting times, admissions to care, younger people in residential aged care, the aged care workforce and government spending on aged care.
Chapter 8 First Nations people
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (First Nations) people are the first peoples of Australia. The welfare and wellbeing of First Nations people can be positively influenced by a range of factors such as connection to Country and caring for Country, knowledge and beliefs, language, self-determination, family and kinship, and cultural expression.
This chapter describes the population profile of First Nations people and includes information about housing, education and skills, employment, income and finance, safety and justice, disability and aged care.
Chapter 9 Justice and safety
Experiences of crime, violence, abuse and neglect can have serious impacts on individuals, families and communities. Various support systems work to protect people from abuse and violence; and these systems respond to keep people safe.
This chapter provides information about children in contact with the child protection system, young people under youth justice supervision and adults in prison. It presents the latest data about adults who experience family, domestic and sexual violence and improving awareness of and attitudes towards violence against women.
Chapter 10 Improving welfare data
A wealth of information is collected from various sources about people’s wellbeing, factors that influence wellbeing and use of welfare services. Data can be used to meet an immediate need (such as informing service delivery) and contribute to other longer-term purposes (such as research and policy development). When used well, quality data can lead to improved outcomes for Australians.
This chapter describes some of the ways the AIHW is working with others to expand the range of available data and improve the quality and timeliness of information processes, from collection to reporting. Work to develop a pilot collection on specialist family and domestic violence services and a project to link specialised health and welfare-service use data are just two examples of current data improvement activities the AIHW is progressing.