An area-based measure of risk of social exclusion for Australian school-age children

This article discusses results of a spatial index of social exclusion for school-aged children at a small area level in Australia. Using data from the 2006 Census, at the height of the mining boom, the index is calculated to examine how the children aged 5-15 years in different states were faring at a time when there were significant differences in the performance of state economies. We analyse the regional distribution of the risk of child social exclusion, examining differences between states, urban and rural areas and by remoteness category. The results show that Tasmania and the Northern Territory are the states with the highest risk of social exclusion for school-aged children. There is a higher proportion of rural small areas which fell into the most at risk category compared to urban areas. Further analysis of results for the education domain and a comparison to child poverty rates are also presented.