Poverty amongst privilege: child social exclusion in Boroondara
Janet Stanley, Kemran Mestan, Chi Wai Ng
Brotherhood of St Laurence
Contact Email:   kmestanbsl.org.au

Government policy is increasingly using a place-based approach to targeting government funds towards ameliorating disadvantage. As a consequence, the needs of disadvantaged people who live in areas where poverty is not concentrated are missing out on this funding. A recently completed study titled ‘Social exclusion in Boroondara’ contributes to better understanding this phenomenon of scattered poverty. Boroondara is one of Melbourne’s wealthiest municipalities; despite this it was found that within Boroondara there is a concerning amount of child social exclusion. Using the Henderson Poverty Line it was revealed that in order of 12% of children are living in poverty. This presentation will focus on the specific nature of child social exclusion in Boroondara. Due to wide affluence and great income inequality in Boroondara, child social exclusion has particular characteristics in comparison to other areas where poverty is concentrated. For example, difficulty accessing resources can be compounded by social ostracism and shame. This was shown through surveying 27 community agencies and interviews with staff of agencies that work with families in Boroondara, as well as a focus group with nine mothers who live in Boroondara.

Paper Download Information (if available):

Stanley_76.ppt Stanley_76.pdf

Copyright © 2007 Social Policy Research Centre.