Spatial Inequality

Spatial dimension is used to describe where things are and to take a spatial approach involves
comparing areas in relation to a particular aspect. This is to detect inequalities between
different areas and mending the inequalities by improving on resources and services. A
particular aspect which often determines inequality is poverty in certain areas.

Poverty is the state of having little or no money and few or no material possessions. It is a
condition of living which is difficult to measure and define. Absolute poverty is when people
are living without safe housing, struggling to find food, and often no access to drinkable
water. However, in Australia, standard of living is higher, so whether a person is living in
‘relative poverty’ is assessed by comparing their quality of life to a given benchmark. While
many people in Australia live in high quality of life, the suffering of those who do not are
concealed and often misunderstood. It is highly unnoticed by mainstream society.

The main factors which contribute to poverty in Australia are inequity in the education
system (which means some people have less opportunity to enter the skilled labour force),
the casualisation of the workforce (which has meant that people have less job security), and
reduced government spending on services which are of benefit to the community. People
most affected by poverty are those with low level education and long term unemployment.

Groups who fall into these categories include the Indigenous Australians and immigrants.
The Indigenous Australians are people who have suffered most from spatial inequality in
Australia. This is due to their location (often fringes of towns) and the high levels of
unemployment. Immigrants from overseas often experience spatial inequality due to
language barriers and the lack of support networks.

People of similar socio-economic backgrounds tend to live in the same areas because of the
money earned often influences where they live. The area in which a person lives also
influences access to education and employment opportunities. Therefore, education and
income are considered causes and effects of spatial inequality as they influence settlement
patterns and are influenced by settlement patterns.

Sydney provides an example of a large urban environment with a high level of spatial
inequality. Suburban pockets of poverty can be found on the city's fringes, in certain parts of
Sydney's south-west for example, and there are also pockets of poverty in much more central
areas. The poorer areas are generally higher in unemployment, welfare-dependency, single-
parent families, substance (drug and alcohol) abuse and crime, than other Sydney suburbs.

Poverty has economic and social impacts; people in Australia who do not possess the living
standards of the majority, are thought to be socially isolated. This can have the effect of
reducing the sense of mutual belonging and respect that is important for maintaining social
cohesion (bonds which bring people together in society) in any community, however large or
small.