• Michael Horn, Rosanna Scutella, Roger Wilkins
• Brotherhood of St Laurence

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09 September 2011Until recently, the usual measure of disadvantage in Australia has been the level of income poverty. The Henderson poverty line has traditionally been the most widely used indicator, measuring the disposable income required to support the needs of a family comprising two adults and two children. Other measures have been developed both here and overseas, typically based on the lack of financial resources as the key indication of persistent poverty.

The concept of social exclusion takes the measurement of disadvantage a step further by considering the numerous, overlapping factors that may exclude a person from society. Poverty alleviation is still a central concern; however, social exclusion provides a multi-dimensional framework that points to a range of factors to be addressed in order to reduce the disadvantage that a person or household may experience.

Understanding the level of social exclusion is a key step towards developing a more socially inclusive society. If Australia is to substantially improve community wellbeing and strengthen economic productivity, it is essential that we have a rigorous measure of the number of people experiencing exclusion as a benchmark to monitor social progress and the effectiveness of government policies.