Social inclusion should be a mandatory performance target for local governments
Australians for Mental Health has urged decision makers to take action after the latest Australian Institute of Health and Welfare report stated loneliness was on the rise.
The report found 40% of people, or 2 in 5, reported feeling lonely in the last week in April of this year. That's up from a level ranging 35-37% in January 2023 and 2024.
It also reported more people are feeling socially isolated. The latest report found 15% of Australians, or 1 in 7, over the age of 15 felt socially isolated in 2023, up from a range of 11-14% between 2001 and 2019.
"These findings should be treated as warning signs. We need government leadership to ensure our communities stay connected. Our social ties influence our physical and mental health. We must invest infrastructure and programs that foster those connections," Australians for Mental Health Executive Director Chris Gambian said.
Australians for Mental Health has been calling on the local governments to play a greater role in place-based mental health care, by doing more to combat loneliness, and reporting on their progress as a performance measure.
The push has also been backed by a NSW Parliamentary report into loneliness, which this year recommended giving LGAs more scope to plan to take action to address loneliness and encourage meaningful connections.
"Our local councils are well placed to play a bigger role in combating loneliness. They understand their communities and their unique opportunities and challenges. Requiring them to have targets for social connection and funding them appropriately to deliver and report on those efforts could help turn these concerning statistics around," Chris Gambian said.
