beyond exploring at the edges: why addressing disadvantage

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

www.tacsi.org.auIngrid.burkett@tacsi.org.au