Vital Signs is a report series that gathers good-quality data about a city from reputable sources to provide a snapshot of its community, explains Catherine Brown.

There needs to be more of a focus on the adverse effects of lower wages for the economy as a whole, argues John Quiggin.

Research suggests that residential aged care facilities are not well regulated in terms of providing safe indoor temperatures, especially during hot summer months.

There is a need for more co-ordinated and comprehensive policy responses to – and resources for – homelessness, entrenched disadvantaged and long-term unemployment, writes Jessica Gerrard.

Innovation is the highest in regional centres that have research and development institutions and there are only 26 of these in regional Australia. But more than 150 regional areas have potential to match this innovation, a new index finds.