In this report, the extent of poverty and social exclusion in Australia is measured using data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey.

For each individual, the authors construct a measure of social exclusion that recognises its multidimensionality, including its potential variability in depth at a point in time and in persistence over time. They distinguish seven dimensions or domains: material resources; employment; education and skills; health and disability; social; community; and personal safety. For each of these seven domains, several indicators of social exclusion are produced. A simple ‘sum-score' method is then used to estimate the extent or depth of exclusion, with a measure a function of both the number of domains in which exclusion is experienced and the number of indicators of exclusion present within each domain.

The report has been written by Rosanna Scutella, Roger Wilkins and Weiping Kostenko and published by the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research.

The report is available from http://apo.org.au/node/20175.

Source: Australian Policy Online