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Title of Presentation. COACH Conference Frankston Presentation by Peter Norden AO Adjunct Professor RMIT University. The Changing Shape of Australian Society. What kind of change?. Speaking from my experience…… criminal justice system and prisons mental health and drug and alcohol

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  1. Title of Presentation COACH Conference Frankston Presentation by Peter Norden AO Adjunct Professor RMIT University The Changing Shape of Australian Society

  2. What kind of change? • 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

  3. 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? What kind of change?

  4. CAR Main Points • Measures disadvantage by postcode area in Vic and New South Wales • Poverty concentrated and entrenched in certain areas • Strong correlations between social disadvantage factors • Positive impact of social cohesion

  5. Disadvantage Degree of Disadvantage Middle range Degree of Advantage Advantage All others Unequal in Life Source: Vinson, T., Community, Adversity & Resilience, Jesuit Social Services, Melbourne, 2004, [Map 4] CAR Map Vic Social Comparison – Vic

  6. Disadvantage Degree of Disadvantage Middle range Degree of Advantage Advantage All others Unequal in Life Source: Vinson, T., Community, Adversity & Resilience, Jesuit Social Services, Melbourne, 2004, [Map 5] CAR Map Vic Social Comparison – Melb Metro

  7. LOCAL DISADVANTAGED POSTCODES: 3940 Rosebud West 3915 Hastings 3939 Rosebud 3200 Frankston North Local Disadvantaged Postcodes

  8. CAR Disadvantage Factors Social Disadvantage Factors • Unemployment • Child Neglect • Long Term Unemployment • Psychiatric Hosp. Admissions • Low Family Income • Court Convictions • Early School Leaving • Imprisonment • Year 12 Incomplete • Mortality • Low Work Skills • Disability/Sickness Allowance • Low Birth Weight

  9. Percentage of Victorian Postcode areas needed to account for 25% and 50% of instances of each form of disadvantage To Reach 25% To Reach 50% Imprisonment 2.1 7.3 Child Neglect 2.7 8.3 Court Convictions 3.9 11.1 Unemployment 4.1 11.3 Low Work Skills 4.2 11.6 Early School Leaving 4.4 12.4 Low Family Income 4.5 12.9 N = 647 Source: Vinson, T., Community, Adversity & Resilience, Jesuit Social Services, Melbourne, 2004, p. 48 CAR Spac Comp Vic

  10. COACH Community Mentoring: How might this help? How could it be applied? What could be expected outcomes? Coach Community Mentoring

  11. Participation in organised recreation/sports groups • Volunteering • Availability of informal help Source: Vinson, T., Community, Adversity & Resilience, Jesuit Social Services, Melbourne, 2004, p. 46 CAR Social Cohesion Factors Social Cohesion Factors

  12. Across local populationsEARLY SCHOOL LEAVING and UNEMPLOYMENT are strongly connected (0.64**) Low social cohesion Connectionremainsstrong (0.63) plus Connectionsignificantlyweakens (0.28) High social cohesion plus N = 277 CAR Early Sch/Unemp SC comp Impact of Community Development Interventions (contd)

  13. Across local populationsLOW FAMILY INCOME and IMPRISONMENT are strongly connected (0.55**) Low social cohesion Connectiongrowsstronger (0.62) plus Connectionsignificantlyweakens (0.18) High social cohesion plus N = 277 CAR Low Inc/Imp SC comp Community Development Interventions Drives a Wedge in the Cycle of Disadvantage

  14. Across local populationsUNEMPLOYMENT and IMPRISONMENT are strongly connected (0.65**) Low social cohesion Connectiongrowsstronger (0.75) plus Connectionsignificantlyweakens (0.22) High social cohesion plus N = 277 CAR Unemp/Imp SC comp Impact of Community Development Interventions (contd)

  15. Across local populationsUNEMPLOYMENT and CHILD NEGLECT are strongly connected (0.68**) Low social cohesion Connectionremainshigh (0.56) plus Connectiondrops (0.40) High social cohesion plus N = 277 CAR Unemp/Child Abuse SC comp Impact of Community Development Interventions (contd)

  16. Criminal Justice/Human Rights Intro Slide Criminal Justice and Human Rights

  17. Chart, crime/prison rates Source: Crime Statistics. Australian Institute of Criminology. Australian crime. Facts and figures 2004 Crime Rate Australia 1996-2003 per 100,000 population Crime rate downbutPrison rate up 3 times the rate of growth of the Australian pop. Prisoners Australia 1994 - 2004 Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics (2004), Prisoners in Australia, ABS, Cat No 4517.0, Table 16, p. 31.

  18. Prisons new mental asylums High Rates of Prisoners with Mental Illness • 26% of prisoners met criteriafor mental illness • 20% - Major Depression • 8% - Manic Depression (Bipolar) • 7% - Schizophrenia • 30% prisoners surveyed hadattempted suicide Source: Victorian Prisoner Health Studies, DOJ, Feb 2003, p.30 & 36.

  19. 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

  20. Increased Surveillance Increased Level ofGovernment Intervention • Anti-terrorism Bill 2005 • Serious Sex Offenders Monitoring Act 2005 • Border Protection • Immigration Detention • Quarantine of welfare payments

  21. 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? How to make a difference?

  22. 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 Community Development Programs

  23. 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? Some Observations or Warnings…

  24. the Crossroads Australia at Australia at Crossroads • Increased Prosperity • Growing Social Divide • Land of Opportunity for Some • Increased Alienation for Others WHAT CAN BE DONE TO SHAPE A MORE COHESIVE AND JUST AUSTRALIAN SOCIETY?

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