Disadvantage in Queensland

Author: Greg Mackay

Date: 05 April 2010

There is nothing wrong with economic growth, but there is a problem with the belief that it will “trickle down” and benefit the whole community. Persistent disadvantage, as Greg Mackay writes, requires a specific set of policy responses.

UnitingCare Queensland has released a report, A Scan of Disadvantage in Queensland 2010, which lays the foundations to address entrenched disadvantage in this State. The report shows the continuing “locational” nature of disadvantage and calls for place-based partnerships across community, government and business as a critical response.

The report, using 2006 Census data, the ABS SEIFA Index of Relative Socio-economic Disadvantage and data from the Public Health Information Development Unit, clearly demonstrates that despite prosperous economic times, the benefits of such sustained growth have not been evenly distributed across Queensland. Some places lag far behind.

All communities have people working hard at every level to make their place better. All communities have strengths and challenges. However, what this report tells us is that some communities face more challenges and experience a greater level of disadvantage than do others.

Some larger areas such as Wide Bay-Burnett emerge as relatively more disadvantaged, with significant pockets of disadvantage also highlighted within areas of Brisbane, the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast.

UnitingCare Queensland supports more than 15,000 people throughout Queensland every day of the year. The people we work with could be frail older people, people with disabilities, vulnerable children, families or youth who are at risk including Indigenous children and children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

Or it could be working with people in communities who have just been devastated by loss and grief when natural disasters hit, or patients who are receiving care in our hospitals. So we see and work with many people who are doing it hard for many different reasons.

There is a view that if we improve the overall economy, then the prosperity and benefits will trickle down and will be enjoyed by all members of the community. But through the work we do and the people we have contact with on a daily basis, we know that’s not true. The Scan of Disadvantage clearly highlights for us that despite the very prosperous economic times in 2006 – the time period upon which the report data is based – there was still significant disadvantage in specific places.

What are the causes or reasons for disadvantage to be so endemic? The indicators are well documented – levels of education, employment, transport, income, etc. There are also intersecting issues and these relate to the social and cultural infrastructure of a particular community. What is the quality of services in that area? How stable is the community? How equipped is it to make an impact on its own wellbeing? Has a particular area been stigmatised and therefore having to fight even harder to affect positive outcomes? Clearly, disadvantage is not just about financial hardship. Disadvantage is driven by several factors including incomes, disability, education levels, and unemployment. When these factors combine, communities can be affected at many levels.

That is why UnitingCare Queensland is seeking to work with government and other business and community partners to seek new ways of working together that will make a difference and will help to reduce the level of concentrated disadvantage in specific areas.

Of greatest concern for us is the extent that Indigenous communities are significantly over-represented among the most disadvantaged areas. We hope this report helps to highlight the urgent need for further effort to address entrenched disadvantage in these communities.