Taking stock of social justice

20 February 2022

A practical approach to the wellbeing, dignity, and safety of all 

As the United Nations World Day of Social Justice approaches on 20 February, The Salvation Army Australia is giving a preview of its Social Justice Stocktake report – a map of social justice priorities across Australia. 

Working for justice is at the heart of what The Salvation Army does in Australia. It is integral to our ethos, our mission, and our vision. 

The pandemic experience has given us greater insight into how deeply social injustice is embedded in Australia. In this stocktake, the Salvos want to get to the heart of what people are seeing in their local communities and from there build a map of social justice priorities across Australia. 

Responses have been collated from more than 15,000 Australians across every state and territory. 

The findings reveal that many people feel overwhelmed, even hopeless, when asked how Australia can address the issues they see in their local communities. Some feel they need the government to act before they can do anything individually. Some despair that governments (of any level and any political persuasion) don’t seem to care enough about the issues and injustices going on around them every day. 

The Salvos firmly believe that every social justice issue can be addressed. So, instead of just providing findings, the stocktake report aims to help alleviate that sense of hopelessness by outlining practical solutions. 

The Salvation Army Australia is a Christian movement dedicated to sharing the love of Jesus. We do this by: 

• Caring for people • Creating faith pathways 

• Building healthy communities • Working for justice 

Mental health and housing affordability are consistently the most prevalent social justice issues across Australia, according to the Salvos’ Social Justice Stocktake report. 

The only exception is in the Northern Territory, where more than 75 per cent of respondents identify alcohol and drug misuse as the major social justice issue in their communities. 

A striking fact is that the issues of mental health and housing affordability often appear to be identified irrespective of other factors, including geography, socio-economic disadvantage or whether respondents are in lockdown as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The impact of COVID-19 on mental health and social isolation is also pertinent. Recent statistics suggest 55 per cent of respondents have felt lonely since the start of the pandemic in 2020. Men are twice as likely to experience isolation and loneliness (males 38 per cent to females 18 per cent), and those that live alone are significantly more likely to experience loneliness. 

Mental ill-health and housing stress have a strong correlation. The Salvos’ experience is that 38 per cent of clients who present to homelessness services have mental ill-health. 

Around 16 per cent of people with mental illness live in unsuitable accommodation, including overcrowded, low-quality housing, or are at risk of eviction. These conditions can continue to cause economic pressures, including difficulty securing employment, which also exacerbates mental ill-health. 

Both housing affordability and homelessness are significant issues in Australia. There were 116,427 people experiencing homelessness in 2016 when the most recent census was carried out. It’s estimated that Australia has a shortfall of 433,400 social housing properties. 

Respondents to the Salvos’ stocktake identify that homelessness, and the kind of housing stress that could lead to homelessness, are ongoing issues in their local community. 

Overwhelmingly, people feel something needs to be done and want to be part of the solution but feel disempowered around finding or implementing solutions. 

Alcohol and drug misuse is an issue in all jurisdictions but is particularly prevalent in regional and remote electorates, particularly in the Northern Territory. 

Family violence is also consistently prevalent across Australia. The Australian Institute of Criminology found that the pandemic coincided with the onset of physical or sexual violence or coercive control for many women. For other women, it coincided with an increase in the frequency or severity of ongoing violence or abuse. 

Family violence has historically remained hidden in our society, so the prevalence of this result might reflect both an increase in the incidence of violence and the concerted efforts by governments and community groups to raise awareness around family violence. 

Every social justice issue identified can be addressed and there are tangible steps we can take together to fight hardship and injustice. 

In upcoming editions, Salvos Magazine will look at some of the main social justice issues raised in the Social Justice Stocktake report and what we can do as a nation, state or territory, community, and as individuals in response. 

To download the report, go to salvationarmy. org.au/socialjusticestocktake