Study Says One Southern State in Australia Is Better Than All the Rest

Snow covered hills are seen behind Parliament House in Canberra, Wednesday, June 1, 2022. (AAP Image/Lukas Coch

One Australian state has outperformed its fellow state and territory counterparts as the best place to live in the country, according to a study by the Centre for Social Impact.

The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) has, for the seventh year in a row, taken out first place in the Social Progress Index, which measures a country’s and state’s access to health, housing, education, and well-being. The 2021 results for Australia were released on June 8.

Rather than tracing traditional measurements such as income and investment, the Social Progress Index tracks social and environmental indicators such as shelter, nutrition, rights, and education. A performance score is given to each state or territory and is then tracked over time.

The ACT scored highly for water and sanitation (97.06 percent), personal safety (86.18 percent), access to basic knowledge (82.49 percent) and environmental quality (85.92 percent).

Victoria came in second, scoring highly for the same measures but scoring low for inclusiveness (35.15 percent).

New South Wales came in third, scoring highly on water and sanitation (95.96 percent), and basic medical care (88.75 percent), but low on shelter (34.53 percent).

“The results also mark the effect of COVID-19 lockdowns in reducing access to education, with 2021 scores tracking worse than pre-pandemic years, particularly for Victoria and NSW, where lockdown measures were particularly severe,” according to the Centre of Social Impact’s media release.

South Australia and Queensland came in fourth and fifth place with solid results on the same measures, such as water and sanitation, nutrition, and basic medical care.

Tasmania and Western Australia took out sixth and seventh place with fair results on the same measures, respectively.

However, the wooden spoon went to the Northern Territory, with fair results in shelter (70.75 percent), but low for personal choice and freedom (30.23 percent).

“Western Australia and the Northern Territory historically score lower due to a combination of barriers including remoteness, smaller populations, and higher proportions of First Nations people—further demonstrating the need for more targeted policy and investment to create better outcomes for these communities” the CSI said.

Study Shows Locality Determines Health and Welfare

Professor Daniel Logue, director of the Centre for Social Impact at the University of New South Wales, said the Index shows “how our society is faring” and where “we are letting people down.”

“It’s critical for decision-makers to see the full picture when designing policy to target our most pressing social challenges.

“While some of these findings are related to specific policy measures taken in 2021 like lockdowns, they paint a worrying picture of a fragmented country where your health, welfare and happiness can be heavily influenced by your location,” Logue said.

While most states and territories showed overall improvement in 2021, all jurisdictions except Victoria went backwards in providing adequate housing—as measured through the uptake of homelessness services, social housing tenancy rates and demand, overcrowding, and rental affordability in low-income households.

According to an April report by the National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation (NHFIC), the rapid return of population growth has coincided with the fastest increases in interest rates, which are “undermining residential construction feasibilities and weakening the pipeline of new housing.”

However, Logue said that she hoped the Index would encourage “a broader national conversation” and “productive competition” between states and territories to tackle social equity issues, reported NewsCorp.

The Social Progress Index also supports the Albanese government’s “Measuring What Matters” framework, which aims to help the government “better understand our economy and society while informing policy making,” according to the centre’s Chief Executive, Arminé Nalbandian.

Australia is ranked 11 out of 168 countries according to the Global Social Progress Index (pdf).