History

For more than 20 years, Jesuit Social Services has been researching complex disadvantage in communities around the country.

Our ground-breaking 1999 report, Unequal in Life, detailed the web of disadvantage limiting life outcomes for communities in Victoria and New South Wales. A second report in 2004 revisited disadvantage in these two states, while subsequent reports expanded the scope to cover every state and territory.

In 2007, the first national edition of the research, Dropping off the Edge, contributed to the establishment of the Social Inclusion Board. Advocacy following the 2015 edition led to Jesuit Social Services establishing the Centre for Just Places in 2021. The Centre for Just Places is a national centre for research, leadership and implementation of place-based responses to disadvantage.

The rich and detailed Dropping off the Edge research has been used by federal, state and local governments to inform decision-making, tailor program delivery and inform practices over more than 20 years. It is also used by individuals and communities themselves to deepen understanding of local challenges and advocate for change.

None of this work would be possible without Professor Tony Vinson – the man who developed this research in consultation with Jesuit Social Services and led it until his passing in 2017.