beyond exploring at the edges: why addressing disadvantage
TRANSCRIPT
Beyond Exploring at the Edges: Why Addressing Disadvantage is an
Economic Development Agenda (more than a welfare agenda)
Dr Ingrid BurkettDirector of Systems Innovation
TACSI
Concentrating impact across the life course
A Great Start Living Well
Reaching Potential
Disadvantage: Moving from inner to outer
city
Source: Chris Loader, Charting Transport
“….little has been achieved over the past 16 years to alleviate difficulties in the most (disadvantaged) areas of Australia”.
(ABC review of Vinson, 2015)
What we know about place-based
disadvantage in Australia
What we spend on addressing place-
based disadvantage
Shifts in addressing place-based
disadvantage
~18% increase p.a
over the past 5 years
~150 published reports p.a.
5 to 9 localities in each state
remaining in the
top 12
consistently for
20 years
Framing
Entrenched Disadvantage is an Economic Issue,
not a Welfare Issue
Geelong Region Opportunities for Work
Grow Local Jobs
Ensure that People in target areas have the best possible
opportunity to access those jobs
Ensure Broad Local Ownership + Measurement
SMEs represent over 95% of the regions local
businesses, employ more than 50% of the
workforce
Around $18.5 B spend (public + private) on
goods & services in the region - around $8.6 B on goods & services source
in local region.
Ensuring local people have the opportunity
+ support to access jobs
An Economic
Shift: Shift in
Local Spend + jobs bias into target
communities
A Cultural Shift: Addressing Regional Inequality + Disadvantage becomes EVERYONE’s Business
Job Creation is the easy part.
The hard part is creating opportunities for people who have been excluded from the labour market for long periods.
High Unemployment
vs. Entry Level Vacancies
+ 20K people on the books of JobActive
(across the region) in Jan 2017
VS.
150+ entry level positions in
manufacturing, cleaning, call centres
‘ENGAGEMENT GAP’
If I can’t fill entry-level positions I can’t grow or
compete
If I can’t get a job I can’t
break the cycle
$/hr
Hrs/wk
Stability
180 Programs
to Address Disadvantage
including Youth Unemployment
~4,000 young people unemployed in Greater
Dandenong
of these, - ~1000 unemployed for 12+
months- ~520 for 24+ months
Person Job
Management + Matching
Job
Person
Scale does not equal more programs….
Job
Person
EmploymentServicesSystem
WelfareSystem
EducationSystemJustice
System
Child Protection
System
AODSystem
MigrationSystem
HealthSystem
Disability ServicesSystem
transactional outcomesperson + job = outcome
Transformational outcomesperson +
quality job + living wage +
pathways to address other issues =
transformational outcomes
Transformational outcomes = opportunity to get onto a pathway out of disadvantage
Transformational Outcomes for employees: transferability of
employability, skills, self-concept, intergenerational transfer
Coststo employers in
recruitment, training & productivity loss
