Library Blog September 2023
News
Mortality inequality, spatial differences and health care access
Kadir Atalay, Rebecca Edwards, Fiona Georgiakakis in Health Economics, 2023;1–23.
Although Australia maintains relatively high standards of health and healthcare, there is disparity in health outcomes and longevity among different segments of the population. Internationally, there is growing evidence that life expectancy gains are not being shared equally among the rich and the poor. In this paper we examine the evolution of mortality inequality in Australia between 2001 and 2018. We document significant mortality inequality between the rich and the poor in Australia. For most age groups, mortality inequality has remained unchanged over the last 20 years. However, mortality inequality is increasing for middle-aged men and women. In part, this can be explained by improvements in longevity which favor urban over rural Australians. Another contributing factor we identify is differential access to healthcare in rich and poor regions. Although Australia's socioeconomic gradient of mortality is flatter than in the US, due to universal health coverage, the fact that mortality inequality is increasing for some groups accentuates the importance of safeguarding health care accessibility.Cooking (and heating) without gas: what are the impacts of shifting to all-electric homes?
The Conversation, 1 August 2023Gas connections for all new housing and sub-divisions will be banned in Victoria from January 1 next year. The long-term result of the state government’s significant change to planning approvals will be all-electric housing. The ACT made similar changes early this year, in line with a shift away from gas across Europe and other locations, although the NSW Premier Chris Minns has baulked at doing the same.
See also BSL's report Enabling electrification : addressing the barriers to moving off gas faced by lower-income households.
Population, households and families
Australian Institue of Family Studies, July 2023This research snapshot outlines some key changes in the population, households and families of Australia over the last four decades, with some of the trends going back before this time. This research snapshot is mainly based on Australian censuses.
How does the South Australian Voice to Parliament work and what does it tell us about how a national Voice might work?
The Conversation, 7 August 2023Australia will go to the polls later this year to decide whether to enshrine an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice in the Constitution. Meanwhile, South Australia created its own First Nations Voice in March.
Podcasts/Streaming
The Voice Community toolkit
Voice to ParliamentThe community toolkit provides resources to help you to learn more about the Voice and the referendum, including videos, posters, fact sheets, templates and more. You can download and share these resources with your communities and networks.
2023 Dungala Kaiela Oration
University of MelbourneThe Dungala Kaiela Oration is co-hosted annually by the Kaiela Institute and the University of Melbourne. This major event challenges and inspires the creation of a shared cultural identity and the building of an inclusive vision of nationhood and prosperity of the Yorta Yorta and other First Nations peoples.
The 15th Dungala Kaiela Oration was presented by renowned constitutional lawyer and public law expert Professor Megan Davis, Pro Vice-Chancellor Society (PVCS) at UNSW Sydney. Professor Davis is also the Balnaves Chair of Constitutional Law, a UNSW Scientia Professor, a Professor of Law and Director of the Indigenous Law Centre UNSW Law.
Read This
Schwart MediaRead This is a show about the books we love and the stories behind them, hosted by Michael Williams. Every Thursday, you’ll hear insightful conversations with the smartest, funniest readers and writers we know and in-depth interviews with the best Australian and international authors talking about their lives and their work. You’ll never be left wondering what to read next.
Learning
The Melbourne Institute: Applied Economic & Social Research. 27-28 September 2023. Melbourne.
With 21 years of Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey data now available, the Conference will emphasise research findings that track how the lives of many Australians have been changing over the course of the 21st century and what factors have been driving that change. Particular emphasis will be given to the consequences of change, including impacts on health and subjective well-being, employment and jobs, family life, and incomes and wealth.