With a federal election looming following years of fire, flood and a global pandemic, The Salvation Army has delved into the very heart of individual Australian communities to discover which social justice issues are of prominent concern right now and what can ultimately be done to address them.
In an Australian first, more than 15,000 people from all demographics across every state and territory contributed to The Salvation Army’s National Social Justice Stocktake Report (NSJSR) via a survey asking which concerns are weighing on individuals, their families, loved ones and local communities – and how these issues will impact their personal decisions during the federal election.
The results of the NSJSR have been collated into a national overview; state and territories synopsis; and 151 electorate and eight state individual jurisdiction reports. All the reports are housed on a purpose-built website – www.salvationarmy.org.au/socialjusticestocktake – which the reader can negotiate by clicking through to areas of interest.
“The Stocktake has several goals, but first and foremost it is designed to help people reflect on social justice and take action on the injustice and hardship they can see,” says The Salvation Army’s Secretary for Mission, Captain Stuart Glover.
“We are releasing this report to coincide with the election of the 47th parliament of Australia to help empower candidates and voters to have a conversation about social justice. The third main objective of this project is to inform how The Salvation Army focuses its social justice, social policy and advocacy work to ensure we are being led by the communities we serve and focused on the needs at hand.”
Nationally, the top six concerns as revealed in the NSJSR are:
· Mental health (53.9 per cent)
· Housing affordability (52.4 per cent)
· Alcohol and drug misuse (42.6 per cent)
· Family violence (35.4 per cent)
· Homelessness (35.1 per cent)
· Poverty and financial hardship (25.9 per cent)
Other issues which feature include:
· Unemployment and underemployment
· Climate change
· Social isolation and loneliness
· Racism and discrimination
· Older Australian discrimination and hardship
· Gambling
· Youth employment
· Gender inequality and inequity
· Disability discrimination and hardship
· Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander disadvantage
· Opportunities for children
· Treatment of refuges and asylum seekers
Feedback from participants of the NSJSR found that Australians care deeply about social injustice –but don’t always know what to do about it.
“There is a vocal element in the community that despairs there is not enough being done about the issues and injustices going on around them in their everyday lives,” Captain Glover adds. “They want to be more active in initiating change but feel powerless. So, instead of just providing findings, we’ve tried to help alleviate that sense of hopelessness by also outlining practical solutions. We firmly believe that every social justice issue can be both addressed and actioned.”
The Salvation Army’s annual Red Shield Appeal raises funds that are used to help address social issues within local communities. To support, visit: www.salvationarmy.org.au.
The www.salvationarmy.org.au/socialjusticestocktake website contains additional information on each of the Stocktake’s issues; quotes from Salvation Army experts in social mission delivery; and the specifics of the survey research.