South Australia

Social disadvantage in South Australia is concentrated in a small number of communities, with disadvantages entrenched in some instances.

Just 5.5% of Statistical Local Areas (SLAs) account for 57% of the highest rank positions across 20 indicators of disadvantage. Those SLAs show high rates of:

  • long-term unemployment
  • low overall level of education
  • criminal convictions
  • young adults not fully engaged in work or study.

However, it should be noted that there were significant differences in the disadvantage experienced in remote regions compared with urban areas. For example, in the remote regions, internet access was an issue, while the more urbanised regions experienced greater housing stress.

We can see that disadvantage is concentrated when we compare the 3% most disadvantaged SLAs to the rest of the state. Those living in the 3% most disadvantaged SLAs in the state are:

  • 10 times as likely to have spent time in prison
  • more than 5 times as likely to be unemployed or have a low level of education
  • more than twice as likely to have a disability
  • 3.5 times as likely to be dealing with mental health problems.

Locational disadvantage is entrenched

Data from Unincorporated West Coast and Unincorporated Whyalla as well as the Aboriginal Councils of Anangua Pitjantjatjara and Maralinga Tjarutja is included for the first time in 2015. This means that of the six areas included in the top band of disadvantage in 2015, three were present in 2007, while the other three were not included in that study.

In fact, every one of the 31 localities that were measured in 2007 and measured again in 2015 remained on the list of most disadvantaged locations (see table below).

Most disadvantaged SLAs in South Australia – Comparison with previous years
(Bands illustrate the severity of disadvantage experienced by a location with Band 1 being most severe. Locations listed alphabetically within bands.)

Band 2015 2007
Band                     20015                                              2007                        
Band 1 Anangua Pitjantjatjara
Coober Pedy
Maralinga Tjarutja
Peterborough
Playford – Elizabeth
Unincorporated Whyalla		 –
Band 1
–
Band 1
Band 1
–
Band 2 Ceduna
Playford – West Central
Port Adelaide Enfield – Park
Port Augusta
Port Pirie City District – City
Unincorporated West Coast		 Band 3
Band 2
Band 2
Band 2
Band 2
–
Band 3 Berri & Barmera – Berri
Copper Coast
Murray Bridge (RC)
Onkaparinga – North Coast
Renmark Paringa – Renmark
Salisbury – Central		 Band 4
Band 2
Band 1
Band 1
Band 3
Band 3
Band 4 Berri & Barmera – Barmera
Port Adelaide Enfield – Inner
Port Adelaide Enfield – Port
Salisbury – Inner North
Whyalla
Yorke Peninsula (DC) – North		 Band 2
Band 3
Band 2
Band 4
Band 3
Band 5
Band 5 The Coorong
Goyder
Loxton Waikerie West
Mid Murray
Onkaparinga Hackham
Yorke Peninsula – South		 Band 5
Band 4
Band 6
Band 2
Band 4
Band 4
Band 6 Barunga West
East Murray Karoonda
Mount Gambier
Port Lincoln
Port Pirie City Districts – Balance
Wakefield		 Band 6
–
Band 6
Band 5
Band 6
Band 5