Inequity in Australian Coastal Communities | UniSC | University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia

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Inequity in Australian Coastal Communities

Why did we undertake this study?

Social and ecological wellbeing is difficult to attain. Understanding community needs is a first step in implementing policies and programs to improve wellbeing. Australian coastal communities are experiencing rapid change affecting wellbeing. Yet community needs are rarely the focus of policy or management addressing coastal vulnerability. This study sought to better understand community needs in rapidly growing Australian coastal communities and implications for sustainable and just coastal communities.

How was it done?

We interviewed 68 coastal and community sector representatives in Australia’s most rapidly growing coastal communities. Interviews discussed themes of vulnerability, coastal governance, innovation, and community need. When discussing community need, respondents rated how well their community can meet its needs (physiologic, safety, love and belonging, esteem, self-actualisation). Significant differences in the assigned rankings were explored in Qualtrics Stats iQ by sector, scale and jurisdiction. Themes in verbal responses were identified via thematic analysis.

What did we find?

Implications

Different perspectives can ensure a holistic approach to addressing community needs. Yet divergence can be a problem when issues are addressed in isolation, or when no action is taken. Systemic problems unaddressed increase inequity with negative impacts on community resilience. To take advantage of the opportunities that a broader perspective of vulnerability brings requires greater coordination across sectors, to ensure needs are not only identified, but receive the resources/attention to address them.

Learn more

The full paper is not currently available.

Citation: Elrick-Barr C ,Thomsen D, Smith T (forthcoming), The wellbeing of rapidly growing Australian coastal communities: Rising inequity and vulnerability, further details forthcoming.

You can download a pdf version of this summary.

Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the Australian Government through the Australian Research Council Discovery Projects Funding Scheme (Project FT180100652). This work contributes to Future Earth Coasts, a Global Research Project of Future Earth. The views expressed herein are those of the authors and are not necessarily those of the Australian Government, Australian Research Council or Future Earth Coasts.