8 Social infrastructure

Key messages

• Social infrastructure connects people and communities to services and opportunities that enhance their quality of life, enable them to live together and help each other, keep them safe and healthy, and boost national productivity.

• To drive more appropriate and effective investment, Australia needs a consistent national framework for valuing social infrastructure.

• Australians expect high-quality social infrastructure that is easy to access. However, experiences differ depending on where people live. Alternative models of funding and delivery will enable more well-located, maintained and fit-for-purpose facilities.

• The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated agile, high-functioning social infrastructure can quickly adapt to the health, educational and social needs of communities. Innovation and technology should be harnessed to drive more cost-effective and sustainable infrastructure and services that communities value.

• Australia's health infrastructure must evolve in response to changing health needs, such as an ageing population and increasing chronic disease. There needs to be more investment in preventative health and virtual care to deliver more equitable and affordable health care, and in improving digital connectivity and literacy so citizens and health workers can use these services effectively.

• The quality, functionality and accessibility of public education infrastructure are inconsistent and do not meet population and technology demands. There must be increased funding for maintenance, design and renewal to provide contemporary, fit-for-purpose education facilities that support the skills of the future and become hubs for lifelong learning.

• Social housing quality, supply and design are inadequate across the country. The case must be made to drive more investment, improve the standard of dwellings, address the growing shortfall and provide a greater range of housing types.

• Arts, culture and recreation facilities define Australian cultural identity. Along with public green and blue spaces (parks and waterways), they improve physical and mental health and make communities more liveable. All levels of government should collectively plan to bring these areas to life through better accessibility and precinct development and renewal.

• Collaborative partnerships create shared, well-used facilities that co-locate health, education and other social facilities in mixed-use precincts (where residential, commercial, retail and community facilities co-exist). This drives collaboration job creation, learning and innovation and requires enduring governance models and appropriate incentives to create real change.