Australia fair? Doing well but room for improvement

We know that families, particularly children, suffer when parents can't get and keep a job. Around one in seven Australian children (about 590,000 kids) live in families where no parent is employed: making Australia the fourth highest country in the OECD with children living in jobless families. And while our overall unemployment rate remains low, youth unemployment is disturbingly high, with one in five 15-19 year olds unable to find work. Over one-quarter of all long-term unemployed Australians are aged between 15 and 24.

Measuring how Australia is faring in these key areas helps us to understand the nature and extent of the fair go challenge. Social inclusion is not going to happen by accident, or overnight. It requires sustained political commitment and government leadership. The work of the Australian Social Inclusion Board is vital in helping to build partnerships across government, business, and the community sector to make a difference to the lives and life chances of disadvantaged and vulnerable Australians.

How Australia is faring confirms that we are travelling well as a nation. Most of us are healthy, employed and connected in our communities. We've made a lot of progress and are heading in the right direction, but there is a way to go to ensure that everyone has the means and opportunity for a decent life.

Social inclusion may be a nerdy term, and you might prefer to use the phrase "a fair go" instead. I don't care what you call it, what matters is that we pull together to share the benefits of our strong economy so that no-one is left behind.

A fair go for everyone. It doesn't get more Aussie than that.