The Australian Social Inclusion Board has published the second edition of its How Australia is faring report, finding that the country is making solid progress in a number of key social inclusion indices.

 

The report tracks Australia's progress against a range of social inclusion indicators, such as school participation rates, qualification and unemployment rates.

 

The report found that overall Australia is performing solidly in a number of key indicators, with more Australians completing school qualification, a comparatively low long-term unemployment rate and housing availability for low-income groups showing positive growth.

 

Australia's employment rate has continued to trend upwards, remaining well ahead of the OECD average. Long term unemployment has remained at 1.0 per cent, well under the that of the US (2.8 per cent) and the UK (2.5 per cent).

 

Minister for Social Inclusion, Mark Butler, welcomed the results of the report, saying that it told a 'compelling story' about our progress as a nation.

 

“Our economy continues to defy international trends and outperform other advanced economies with solid growth and low unemployment, yet 640,000 Australians still face complex and multiple levels of disadvantage each year," Mr Butler said.

 

However, despite the overall good news, the report identified some areas of concern. For example, the report found that 5 per cent of working age Australians, or around 640,000, continue to experience entrenched disadvantage. Australia continues to have the 4th highest rate of children living in jobless families in the OECD, finding that 14 per cent of children under 15, or 590,000, lived in jobless families. Additionally, and income inequality has increased steadily since the mid-1990s.

 

“For the approximately 5% of Australians, some 640,000 people, facing severe levels of disadvantage, we need to do more,” Mr Butler said.

 

The full report can be found here