This report is the first as part of a major new research programme at Demos reimagining public services. The project will build a credible policy agenda for 21st Century public services with citizen experiences at the centre.

This research tests the usefulness of new datasets to inform the forward planning of social and community infrastructure in rapidly growing areas of Australian cities. It focusses on greenfield areas of Sydney, Brisbane, and Perth to demonstrate data sources and methods that can be replicated in other locations.

This report finds that despite Australia’s promising economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, many charities remain in vulnerable financial positions and require urgent funding from the Australian government to continue supporting thousands of Australians in need and providing employment opportunities.

The NSW social services sector employs more than 230,000 people, and provides care to more than 1 million people per year. This report underlines the opportunities arising from investing in the sector.

This report is a call to action to demonstrate how targeted policy measures focused on enabling different forms of ownership, can increase diversity and choice in social services in Australia with positive outcomes for the quality and productivity of those services.