Household Finances

This paper is part of a broader project on household inequality and living standards being conducted by the Social Policy Research Centre in partnership with the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The main purpose of the paper is to discuss methodological issues in assessing geographical differences in the propensity of households to ....

A lack of access to banking and financial services, otherwise termed financial exclusion, is one of the key aspects of the social exclusion of low income groups in Australian society. Individuals without access to banking services are at an economic disadvantage. Without the ability to save, individuals are denied a range of econom ....

By examining statistics from the 1996 and 2001 Censuses by postcode, this report compares the income of households in order to explore where the most affluent and poorest areas of Australia are located; who has benefited from the past few years of strong economic growth and falling unemployment; how household incomes in 2001 compar ....

The cost and dietary choices required to fulfil nutrient recommendations defined nationally, need investigation, particularly for disadvantaged populations. This modelling approach suggested population level dietary recommendations at minimal cost based on the baseline purchased diet. Large shifts in diet in remote Aboriginal Australian populati ....

Much research about child poverty and disadvantage provides national estimates of child wellbeing, due to the ready availability of microdata at the national level. However, an increasing body of evidence suggests that there can be major differences in well-being between children living in different geographic areas. In addition, m ....

Describing the condition of jobless families today as one of precarious stability, this paper argues that an outcome of current policy changes is the fragmentation of the lives of jobless families, especially in regional communities. Comparison is made with the Great Depression and issues are discussed of: capitalism now; the curre ....

Report Locationhttp://www.rdv.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/192759/Victorian-Impacts-of-the-proposed-Basin-Plan-RMCG-20120220.pdf ....

'Think Global, Act Local' has become a theme for development planning of governments around the world. This is partly due to the increasing recognition of the importance of planning at a small area level. As a consequence, there is a need to derive estimates of socio-economic variables for local areas, and project these into future ....

Using data for four countries from the Luxembourg Income Study, this paper evaluates the use of microeconomic data for researching regional income distribution and interregional redistribution. It first estimates interregional inequality, based on household income, before and after redistribution. Two methods of measuring interregi ....

This study reports on research into the significant social and economic costs of the 2003 bushfires across the Gippsland and North East Regions for both the short and medium terms. It reveals that the bushfires are expected to have considerable direct and indirect effects on these regions for the long term (i.e. the next two to fiv ....

In May 2005, the Commonwealth announced changes to the eligibility criteria for a number of farm welfare payments which have resulted in farmers receiving such payments on more generous terms than other disadvantaged groups in the community. The changes passed largely unremarked by the media or political commentators. Farm welfare programs are de ....

This paper argues that climate change poses two distinct, if related, sets of challenges for poor rural households: challenges related to the increasing frequency and severity of weather shocks and challenges related to long-term shifts in temperature, rainfall patterns, water availability and other environmental factors. Within this framework, t ....

Our vision is to have resilient rural communities across NSW, driving social and economic change. With this goal in mind, over the past year, we have worked with our partner organisations on a variety of programs. Together we have delivered services to build community capacity, assisted communities to prepare for and manage advers ....

As one part of the Australian Government's National Review of Drought Policy, an assessment of the social impacts of drought on farm families and rural communities was undertaken by an expert panel. To support this inquiry, this submission provides preliminary information from the Regional and Rural Families Survey, which includes ....