Population Mobility and Labour Markets

Project Overview

The Population Mobility and Labour Markets project concluded in June 2017. Research in this project generated an evidence base that will contribute to ongoing improvements in remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s social, health and economic opportunities by facilitating improved planning and decision-making by remote communities, service providers, policymakers and employers. Outputs from the research have helped to re-orient the mindset of policymakers and service providers away from the view that mobility works against economic participation and towards a view in which mobility is understood and accommodated.

The research examined the volume, pattern and duration of short-term movements (‘temporary mobility’), the impact this has on service provision, and the flow-on links to economic participation. It also looked at the drivers of mobility and how these drivers will shape economic participation into future. By demonstrating how mobility and the existing models of service provision are linked for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in remote communities, the research was able to provide the empirical data and planning tools needed to align service delivery and policy to changing demand and to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander aspirations.

The project team worked with end users to define and develop an analytical tool that contains remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander demographic and mobility information and has forecasting and scenario planning capabilities.

Research results were disseminated widely, with the project publishing 4 journal papers and 3 book chapters, presenting at 5 major conferences and creating 20 other end-user publications.

The impacts from the project were:

• New livelihood opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander researchers trained in the project
• Delivery of more efficient services to communities and individuals
• Improved basis for enumerating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in remote areas which in turn led to:
  • strengthening of current and emerging remote communities through the delivery of more cost-effective services that reflect patterns of mobility
  • identification of the impact of service and infrastructure availability on mobility patterns, thereby improving the basis for funding decisions in areas such as housing
  • service providers and employers having an understanding of the impact of policy change and local agency on mobility patterns, thereby making savings through better targeting of services.

• Highlighting of how barriers to mobility, such as the absence of drivers’ licenses and vehicle access, curtail economic participation.

The main outputs from the project were:

• Assessment of the key drivers and aspirations for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mobility and the volume, pattern and duration of movement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in remote Australia
• A platform for future informed decision-making for service delivery, including:
  • understanding from available data on the level and composition of service demand and usage in different locations
  • assessment of the service requirements of visiting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations to key regional centres and identification of service delivery breakdowns and the effect of, and on, mobility
  • identification of the impact of the availability of services on mobility patterns and an understanding of the subsequent accommodation overcrowding issues and increased pressure on infrastructure
  • understanding of the potential mix of centralised and decentralised services required to address demand and need within major regional centres and across catchment communities, given fluctuating populations and shifting mobility trends
  • an evidence base and predictive model of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander temporary mobility and the impact of policy change and local agency on mobility patterns
  • a collaborative research methodology that is already being adapted for use in other areas. The methodology will be collaborative in design with a strong emphasis on further developing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s research capabilities.

For more information about the project, contact Mike Dockery on (08) 9266 3468.

highlighting how barriers to mobility, such as the absence of drivers’ licenses and vehicle access, curtail economic participatio