A new report from Anglicare Australia is warning that people in regional and remote Australia are being left behind, with essential services stretched.
The report, In Every Community, draws on the experience of Anglicare Australia members delivering services across the country. It finds that:
- Services in regional and remote areas are harder to access, and more likely to face underfunding, short-term contracts, and insecure staffing
- Funding is often allocated based on population, rather than community need or service gaps
- Providers are struggling to recruit and retain staff, and are being forced to deliver more with less.
- Community services are being asked to fill critical workforce shortages, with little or no government support.
The report calls for governments to fund housing for key regional workers and provide long-term job security, move from population-based to needs-based funding that reflects real costs, invest in digital and transport infrastructure as a matter of equity, and scale up local innovation with flexible, long-term funding streams.