Disadvantaged areas.

A study by Professor Tony Vinson of the University of NSW applied 14 indicators of disadvantage to postcodes across New South Wales. Professor Vinson's report, Community Adversity and Resilience, revealed the neediest postcodes for government attention. It also highlighted the big gap between well-off Sydney suburbs and areas in regional New South Wales.

The study was commissioned by the Ignatius Centre as a follow-up to an earlier survey, done in 1999. On a positive note, it showed that, given the right kind of support, communities can be strengthened to improve opportunities and reduce problems. One area, Winsdale, a housing department suburb of Newcastle, was identified in both studies as being one of the neediest in the state. Still, since the 1999 report Winsdale has dramatically lowered rates of child abuse and improved birth-weight in babies. Training and employment opportunities have also improved, partly because of the Hunter Valley Community Renewal Scheme. However, Professor Vinson noted that the flow of specific funding to the area has slowed to a trickle and the community is now expected to stand on its own feet. 'We live in an era of pilot projects,' he said (Sydney Morning Herald, 9/3/04, p.1).