Title of Presentation

COACHConferenceFrankston

Presentation by

Peter Norden AO

Adjunct ProfessorRMIT University

Speaking from my experience……

• criminal justice system and prisons

• mental health and drug and alcohol

• community development work

• intergenerational family disadvantage

• social policy and research (State / Federal)

• public advocacy and reform

What kind of change?

What kind of change?

Change is inevitable,

But ….

can Australia still claim to be a land of hope and opportunity

and a place which provides

“A FAIR GO” for all Australians?

CAR Main Points

Positive impact of social cohesion

Strong correlations between social disadvantage factors

Poverty concentrated and entrenched in certain areas

Measures disadvantage by postcode area in Vic and New South Wales

CAR Map Vic

Social Comparison – Vic

Unequal in Life

Source: Vinson, T., Community, Adversity & Resilience, Jesuit Social Services, Melbourne, 2004, [Map 4]

DisadvantageDegree of DisadvantageMiddle rangeDegree of AdvantageAdvantageAll others

CAR Map Vic

Social Comparison – Melb Metro

Source: Vinson, T., Community, Adversity & Resilience, Jesuit Social Services, Melbourne, 2004, [Map 5]

Unequal in Life

DisadvantageDegree of DisadvantageMiddle rangeDegree of AdvantageAdvantageAll others

Local Disadvantaged Postcodes

LOCAL DISADVANTAGED POSTCODES:

3940 Rosebud West

3915 Hastings

3939 Rosebud

3200 Frankston North

CAR Disadvantage Factors

Social Disadvantage Factors

Low Birth Weight

Disability/Sickness AllowanceLow Work Skills

MortalityYear 12 Incomplete

ImprisonmentEarly School Leaving

Court ConvictionsLow Family Income

Psychiatric Hosp. AdmissionsLong Term Unemployment

Child NeglectUnemployment

CAR Spac Comp Vic

Spatial Compression of Disadvantage - Vic

Source: Vinson, T., Community, Adversity & Resilience, Jesuit Social Services, Melbourne, 2004, p. 48

4.5

Percentage of Victorian Postcode areas needed to account for 25% and 50% of instances of each form of disadvantage

N = 647

8.32.7Child Neglect11.13.9Court Convictions

12.44.4Early School Leaving12.9Low Family Income

7.32.1Imprisonment

11.34.1Unemployment11.64.2Low Work Skills

To Reach50%

To Reach25%

Coach Community Mentoring

COACH Community Mentoring:

How might this help?

How could it be applied?

What could be expected outcomes?

CAR Social Cohesion Factors

Social Cohesion Factors

Source: Vinson, T., Community, Adversity & Resilience, Jesuit Social Services, Melbourne, 2004, p. 46

Availability of informal help

Volunteering

Participation in organised recreation/sports groups

CAR Early Sch/Unemp SC comp

Across local populations

EARLY SCHOOL

LEAVING

and

UNEMPLOYMENT

are strongly connected

(0.64**)

Connectionremains strong(0.63)

Low social cohesion

plus

Connectionsignificantly

weakens(0.28)

plus High social cohesion

N = 277

Impact of Community Development Interventions (contd)

CAR Low Inc/Imp SC comp

Community Development Interventions Drives a Wedge in the Cycle of

Disadvantage

Across local populations

LOW FAMILY

INCOME

and

IMPRISONMENT

are strongly connected

(0.55**)

Connectiongrows

stronger(0.62)

Low social cohesion

plus

Connectionsignificantly

weakens(0.18)

plus High social cohesion

N = 277

CAR Unemp/Imp SC comp

Across local populations

UNEMPLOYMENT

and

IMPRISONMENT

are strongly connected

(0.65**)

Connectiongrows

stronger(0.75)

Low social cohesion

plus

Connectionsignificantly

weakens(0.22)

plus High social cohesion

N = 277

Impact of Community Development Interventions (contd)

CAR Unemp/Child Abuse SC comp

Across local populations

UNEMPLOYMENT

and

CHILD NEGLECT

are strongly connected

(0.68**)

Connectionremains

high(0.56)

Low social cohesion

plus

Connection drops(0.40)

plus High social cohesion

N = 277

Impact of Community Development Interventions (contd)

Criminal Justice/Human Rights Intro Slide

Criminal Justice and Human Rights

Chart, crime/prison rates

-

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

30,000

1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

All prisoners

Sentencedprisoners

Unsentencedprisoners

Prisoners Australia 1994 - 2004

Crime rates in Australia per 100,000 population. 1996- 2003

-1,0002,0003,0004,0005,0006,0007,000

1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003

Violent crime rateProperty crime rate

Crime Rate Australia 1996-2003per 100,000 population

Crime rate downbut

Prison rate up

3 times the rate of growth

of the Australian pop. Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics (2004), Prisoners in Australia, ABS, Cat No 4517.0, Table 16, p. 31.

Source: Crime Statistics. Australian Institute of Criminology. Australian crime. Facts and figures 2004

Prisons new mental asylums

High Rates of Prisoners with Mental Illness

26% of prisoners met criteria for mental illness

20% - Major Depression

8% - Manic Depression (Bipolar)

7% - Schizophrenia

30% prisoners surveyed had attempted suicide

Source: Victorian Prisoner Health Studies, DOJ, Feb 2003, p.30 & 36.

Prisons and Hep C

High Rates of Prisoners with Hepatitis C

58% of prisoners tested positive for Hep C Virus

69% of prisoners admit to injecting drugs with most sharing needles

18.5% increase in prisoners found to be HCV carriers

220,000 plus Australians already infected

16,000 new infections each year

Source: Victorian Prisoner Health Studies, DOJ, Feb 2003, p. 90

Increased Surveillance

Increased Level ofGovernment Intervention

Anti-terrorism Bill 2005

Serious Sex Offenders Monitoring Act 2005

Border Protection

Immigration Detention

Quarantine of welfare payments

How to make a difference?

HOW TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE?

HOW TO HELP OUR FAMILIES AVOID THESE PITFALLS (CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND

WELFARE DEPENDENCY)?

HOW TO CREATE REAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR A FUTURE GENERATION OF

DISADVANTAGED CHILDREN?

Community Development Programs

Community Development Programs

(such as COACH Community Mentoring)

• aim to bring about change….

• in individuals, families, and communities

• to be effective, they must be sustained

• to have broader social change…..

• they must also address structures

Some Observations or Warnings…

Some Observations or Warnings ……

How do these programs promote broader change rather than family mobility alone?

Where is the role for social policy and advocacy as well as family mentoring?

Australia at Crossroads

WHAT CAN BE DONE TO SHAPE A MORE COHESIVE AND JUST AUSTRALIAN SOCIETY?

Increased ProsperityGrowing Social DivideLand of Opportunity for SomeIncreased Alienation for Others