Social infrastructure helps to create healthy, happy, thriving communities.
It is made up of the facilities, spaces, networks and services that support individual and community health and wellbeing, promote a cohesive society and support economic prosperity.
The 2021 Plan focuses on the physical facilities and spaces that support the delivery of social services and does not explore social service planning. We do provide recommendations to accelerate digitalisation, such as telehealth, where this will optimise the use of physical infrastructure.
Social infrastructure falls into six categories:
• education
• health and aged care
• arts and culture
• social housing
• green, blue and recreation
• justice and emergency services.
Giving all Australians equal access to social infrastructure is important, because it has a direct impact on liveability - that is, how much a neighbourhood, town or city supports quality of life for the people who live, work and visit there.1
" Giving all Australians equal access to social infrastructure is important, because it has a direct impact on liveability. "
Social infrastructure also builds human capital (the collective skills, knowledge and experience of individuals that creates economic value) and social capital (the networks of relationships that enable society to function effectively).
The 2021 Plan helps Australians to develop the skills and resilience to create strong, prosperous communities that make a substantial contribution to their nation's economic growth.2