Cmmunity organisations deliver government-funded services for children, families, youth, women, men, people with a disability, people from CALD backgrounds, people from Indigenous communities. To provide targeted and accessible services, community organisations need to use data in:

• Planning

• Evaluation, for example using Results Based Accountability (RBA, Mark Friedman)

• Accountability both to the funding body and to the community

This data must apply to the local geographic community as well as to small defined communities, for example people in the local area who use AUSLAN. Community organisations know who is using their services but they also need data to show the target groups not using their services.

Generally community organisations target their services to people in the community who are, in some way, disadvantaged. The Australian Social Inclusion Board www.socialinclusion.gov.au/, the advisory body to the Australian Government has drawn up the headline indicators of social inclusion to measure disadvantage and social exclusion (2009). The social indicators are defined around:

• Poverty and low income

• Lack of access to the job market

• Limited social supports and networks

• Effect of the local neighbourhood

• Exclusion from services

• Health

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare www.aihw.gov.au should publish data based on these social indicators in local geographic areas. This data should be made available to community organisations, policy makers, government funding bodies.

Demographic data

We find excellent detailed demographic data in the 2006 ABS Census of Housing and Population. This data can be found for small local areas useful for local community services. The Census data includes the Index of Relative Socio-Economic Disadvantage (SEIFA); type of housing tenure; costs of mortgage or rent.

Health data

The NSW South Eastern Sydney and Illawarra Area Health Service (SESIAHS) is comprised of 13 local government areas (LGAs) in a large range of disparate populations. Health data collected by SESIAHS is not collated in local geographic areas.

Disability data

Lack of data about people with a disability is a significant problem. The Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers (SDAC) conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) was conducted in 2003. The NSW government agency Ageing, Disability and Home Care (ADHC) collects data only on the number of services delivered.

Unemployment

ABS data on employment and unemployment is available by regional areas in Labour Force, Australia, 6291.0.55.001, Table 16.

Social capital

Data collected by ABS is collated in national and state – but not local – areas eg : General Social Survey, Summary Results, Australia, 2006 (cat. no. 4159.0); Voluntary Work, Australia, 2006 (cat. no. 4441.0); How Australians Use Their Time, 2006 (cat. no. 4153.0); National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander General Social Survey (cat. no. 4714.0); Measures of Australia's Progress (cat. no. 1370.0); Australian Social Trends (cat. no. 4102.0)