Towards New Indicators of Disadvantage Project: Bulletin 1: Identifying The Essentials of Life
The Towards New Indicators of Disadvantage project is a collaboration between researchers at the Social Policy Research Centre (SPRC) and analysts from the Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS), Mission Australia, the Brotherhood of St Laurence (BSL) and Anglicare, Diocese of Sydney. SPRC Director Professor Peter Saunders is the project’s Chief Investigator, and Peter Davidson from ACOSS and Janet Taylor from BSL are Partner Investigators. The research is funded by a Linkage project grant from the Australian Research Council, with additional cash and in-kind support provided by the collaborators.
The aim of the research is to develop new indicators that can be used alongside existing instruments (e.g. poverty lines) to better identify the extent and nature of disadvantage in Australia. The findings will help to fill the gaps that currently exist in conceptual thinking and empirical research on poverty and related issues of deprivation and social exclusion. They will also provide new information on the circumstances of those who use welfare services, and a better evidence base to inform policy development.
The research is being conducted in two stages. Stage 1 involved a series of focus group discussions with users of welfare services, designed to better understand the problems faced by low-income Australians and obtain their views on what is required to achieve a decent standard of living. Similar discussions with welfare agency staff helped to validate the findings and enrich our understanding of what it means to be struggling to make ends meet. A copy of the Stage I findings can be obtained from the SPRC website at www.sprc.edu.au or by contacting SPRC or any of the other participating agencies.
Towards New Indicators of Disadvantage Project: Identifying The Essentials
