Second Social Justice Stocktake ‘bigger and better’
BY KIRRALEE NICOLLE
The Salvation Army’s 2025 Social Justice Stocktake is being launched today (20 February) to coincide with World Day of Social Justice.
With the first Social Justice Stocktake released in 2022, The Salvation Army’s Policy and Advocacy team has again compiled PureProfile research collated over the past year to provide a snapshot of justice issues causing concern across the nation.
In 2022, the Stocktake covered over 151 electorates across Australia. The content was divided according to states and territories to ensure MPs and Senators had relevant and accessible information.
More comprehensive
Salvation Army General Manager for Policy and Advocacy Jennifer Kirkaldy said this year’s report was even “bigger and better”.
“This year, we’ve touched base with over 16,000 Australians, and we’ve asked them four questions,” Jennifer said.
“We’ve asked them what social justice issues are impacting in their community. We’ve asked them what social justice issues are impacting in their own lives. Then we’ve asked them what they would like done about them and then what they would like decision-makers to know about the issues that are really weighing on them. We’ve then taken that and turned it into 159 reports. So, a report for Australia, a report for each state and territory, and then a report for each electorate.”
This time around, housing affordability and homelessness have edged out mental health as the top social justice concerns for the survey respondents, who reside in every state and territory.
Seventy-one percent of respondents identified housing and homelessness as the most pressing issues in their communities. These concerns also proved to be the greatest concern in all but one Australian jurisdiction.
Concern about mental health has also risen, with 57.6 per cent of respondents identifying the issue as a concern in their community, compared with 53.9 per cent in 2022. Mental health was also the issue most commonly experienced by the respondents. Financial hardship and inclusion followed closely, at 53.2 per cent, followed by access to health care, at 50.4 per cent.
Not just a snapshot
This Social Justice Stocktake offers more than data and information; it also offers practical steps to address the issues of concern. Jennifer said the Stocktake included not just survey results but also contextual information about how prevalent the social justice issues are in each electorate, state and territory, as well as contextual information about what can be done to address each issue.
“[It includes] what we can do about it in terms of what we can ask governments to take action on, but also what we can do in our community groups or in our workplaces, and then what we can do as individuals to take action right now on the social justice issues we’re worried about,” Jennifer said.
Survey style
The Snapshot was crafted using multiple-choice and open-ended questions from the perspectives of a diverse range of everyday Australians. Those surveyed were asked to identify the top five social justice issues they saw in their community and lives. They were then invited to share what they felt could be done about the issues and what they wanted decision-makers to know. All participants engaged in the survey on a voluntary basis.
More information about the Stocktake, including access to all 158 reports and references, can be found here or by emailing policy.advocacy@salvationarmy.org.au.
