Victoria
Dropping off the Edge 2021 finds disadvantage is disproportionately located in a small number of communities in Victoria, which experience high and persistent rates of intergenerational unemployment, low incomes, early school leaving, and youth unemployment.
Key findings
Disadvantage is concentrated in a small number of communities within Victoria, with 5% of locations accounting for close to a third of the most disadvantaged rank positions across all indicators measured.
These communities experience a complex web of disadvantage that make it challenging to improve life opportunities.
While most disadvantage was found outside Melbourne (25 of the 40 most disadvantaged locations), some of the most extreme disadvantage was found within the capital: six of the 10 areas of highest disadvantage are in Melbourne.
Layered and persistent disadvantage coexist. Common issues in locations facing disadvantage on multiple fronts are jobless parents; low income; youth not in employment, education or training; and people leaving school before Year 10.
SIX OF THE 10 AREAS OF HIGHEST DISADVANTAGE WERE IN MELBOURNE.
Locational disadvantage is concentrated
A limited number of communities disproportionately occupy the most disadvantaged positions across the various indicators:
Five areas, about 1% of locations, account for 9% of the most disadvantaged rank positions across all indicators. This is a nine-fold overrepresentation.
24 areas, about 5% of locations, account for more than 29% of the most disadvantaged rank positions. This is a five-fold overrepresentation.
The disproportionate distribution of disadvantage within Victoria is seen most clearly in comparing the most 3% of most disadvantaged communities with the rest of the state. Those living in the 3% most disadvantaged areas (13 communities) are:
More than three times more likely to be living in public housing (3.1 times).
Nearly three times more likely to have high levels of prison admissions or families with jobless parents (2.9 times).
Nearly three times more likely to experience child maltreatment (2.7 times).
More than twice as likely (2.5 times) to experience overcrowding and 2.4 times more likely to be exposed to family violence.
ABOUT 1 per cent OF LOCATIONS, ACCOUNTED FOR 9 per cent OF THE MOST DISADVANTAGED RANK POSITIONS ACROSS ALL INDICATORS.
Locational disadvantage is
persistent …
We can compare findings of this 2021 study with previous Dropping off the Edge studies undertaken in 2007 and 2015 to see the persistent nature of locational disadvantage.
Every Victorian location ranked in the top 10 most disadvantaged areas in 2021 were also in the 2015 list of the 40 most disadvantaged locations.
Of those in the top 40 disadvantaged areas in 2021, most (31 out of the 40) were also in the top 40 disadvantaged areas in 2015. Five of the top 10 were in the most disadvantaged 40 in both 2007 and 2015, and some have been disadvantaged since early Dropping off the Edge studies in 1999 and 2004.
Every location in the 2021 top 10 most disadvantaged locations in victoria was also ranked in the top 40 most disadvantaged locations in 2015.
...AND OCCURS ON MULTIPLE FRONTS
Disadvantage is difficult to shift when it occurs across multiple areas of life, as these challenges combine to create what can seem to be insurmountable hurdles.
In Victoria, 24 areas (5% of locations) had eight indicators or more in the top 5% most disadvantaged. These 24 areas accounted for 29% of all possible indicator positions.
This was similar to the results in 2015, which used larger areas (postcodes) and found that 27 postcodes (4% of the total postcodes) accounted for 29% of the top rank positions. The results in 2007 were similar: 44 postcodes (6.6% of the total) accounted for 35% of the top positions.
Different areas rank highly on different indicators, highlighting the diversity of disadvantage between communities, and the need to explicitly consider the individual community context when addressing disadvantage.
THERE IS IMMENSE SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC COST TO THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY AS A RESULT OF SUSTAINED DISADVANTAGE.
Most disadvantaged Locations in Victoria –
comparison with previous years
Band | SA2 Name | Population | Location | In list in 2007 | In list in 2015 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Most Disadvantaged Locations | |||||
1 | Broadmeadows | 14,512 | Greater Melbourne | Y | Y |
1 | Campbellfield - Coolaroo | 16,989 | Greater Melbourne | Y | Y |
1 | Corio - Norlane | 27,622 | Rest of Vic. | Y | Y |
1 | Dandenong | 34,199 | Greater Melbourne | Y | |
1 | Doveton | 12,433 | Greater Melbourne | Y | Y |
1 | Maryborough (Vic.) | 8,006 | Rest of Vic. | Y | Y |
1 | Meadow Heights | 15,732 | Greater Melbourne | Y | |
1 | Mildura - North | 18,690 | Rest of Vic. | Y | |
1 | Morwell | 14,004 | Rest of Vic. | Y | |
1 | St Albans - North | 21,624 | Greater Melbourne | Y | |
1 | Bendigo | 14,703 | Rest of Vic. | ||
1 | Cobram | 6,426 | Rest of Vic. | ||
1 | Kings Park (Vic.) | 14,550 | Greater Melbourne | Y | |
1 | Moe - Newborough | 16,844 | Rest of Vic. | Y | |
1 | Mooroopna | 8,137 | Rest of Vic. | Y | |
2 | Robinvale | 3,302 | Rest of Vic. | Y | Y |
2 | Seymour | 6,439 | Rest of Vic. | Y | |
2 | Shepparton - South | 24,829 | Rest of Vic. | Y | |
2 | St Albans - South | 18,403 | Greater Melbourne | Y | |
2 | Thomastown | 21,510 | Greater Melbourne | Y | |
2 | Benalla | 10,492 | Rest of Vic. | Y | Y |
2 | California Gully - Eaglehawk | 13,252 | Rest of Vic. | Y | Y |
2 | Lalor | 25,249 | Greater Melbourne | Y | |
2 | Mildura - South | 15,229 | Rest of Vic. | Y | |
2 | Red Cliffs | 5,991 | Rest of Vic. | Y | |
3 | Roxburgh Park - Somerton | 25,372 | Greater Melbourne | ||
3 | Sunshine North | 12,525 | Greater Melbourne | Y | |
3 | Sunshine West | 20,207 | Greater Melbourne | Y | |
3 | Wendouree - Miners Rest | 15,173 | Rest of Vic. | Y | |
3 | Yarriambiack | 6,536 | Rest of Vic. | ||
3 | Frankston North | 19,894 | Greater Melbourne | Y | |
3 | Kerang | 3,815 | Rest of Vic. | ||
3 | Loddon | 7,003 | Rest of Vic. | Y | |
3 | Maryborough Region | 5,323 | Rest of Vic. | Y | Y |
3 | Merbein | 4,854 | Rest of Vic. | Y | |
4 | Newcomb - Moolap | 15,089 | Rest of Vic. | ||
4 | Noble Park - West | 20,153 | Greater Melbourne | ||
4 | Orbost | 6,461 | Rest of Vic. | Y | Y |
4 | Rushworth | 4,057 | Rest of Vic. | ||
4 | Yarrawonga | 8,504 | Rest of Vic. | ||
Least Disadvantaged Locations | |||||
Beaumaris | 14,927 | Greater Melbourne | |||
Eltham | 24,296 | Greater Melbourne | |||
Glen Iris - East | 17,658 | Greater Melbourne | |||
Ivanhoe East - Eaglemont | 8,202 | Greater Melbourne | |||
Lysterfield | 6,990 | Greater Melbourne | |||
Macedon | 3,639 | Greater Melbourne | |||
Mount Eliza | 19,235 | Greater Melbourne | |||
Research - North Warrandyte | 7,107 | Greater Melbourne | |||
Surrey Hills (East) - Mont Albert | 10,625 | Greater Melbourne | |||
Warrandyte - Wonga Park | 10,547 | Greater Melbourne |