Rural and regional communities are generally poorer than metropolitan regions with unemployment often being the cause of financial constraints for many. Access to social services and subsequent lack of opportunities in the areas of education and health exacerbate the deprivation in these areas.
We have found that low pay, insecure employment, unaffordable housing and poor public transport infrastructure are all factors driving rural poverty.
challenges in accessing health care or health professionals, such as specialists. social determinants such as income, education and employment opportunities. higher rates of risky behaviours such as tobacco smoking and alcohol use.
Socioeconomic disadvantage
Rural and remote communities in Australia generally exhibit lower socioeconomic status compared to cities. There is lower access to employment, education and income in rural and remote areas. Financial hardship due to natural disasters or climate change may also affect residents.
Income inequality is a significant issue for the more than 6.7 million people of rural and remote Australia, especially given the pervasive influence of low income on health and wellbeing. On top of the lower median gross household incomes in rural and remote Australia, many goods and services are more highly priced.
Access to health care. People living in rural and remote areas face barriers to accessing health care, due to challenges of geographic spread, low population density, limited infrastructure, and the higher costs of delivering rural and remote health care.
While the overall rate of poverty is higher in nonmetro counties than in metro, the difference between nonmetro/metro poverty rates varies significantly across Census regions (see more on the Region Definitions discussed here below).
There may be limited job opportunities, unless you already have a job nearby or if you commute into a town or city. Television and Internet connectivity could be weaker or patchy in more rural areas. During the winter months, nearby roads might not be in the best shape or not be as well maintained as urban roads.
Rural disadvantage is de- scribed according to (a) well-being (general indices, income, prices, poverty, unemployment, health and education), and (b) service depri- vation (income security, health, education, welfare and essential services).
Like cities, rural areas also have their advantages and disadvantages. They can be beautiful, relaxing places in which to live, but they also lack many of the cultural advantages and other amenities that cities feature. Rural areas are characterized by sparse populations and long distances that people must travel.
Some of the challenges people may face include: social - poor housing conditions and much higher crime rates. economic - low wages or unemployment. environmental - polluted drinking water and a lack of sanitation.
Housing, digital connectivity and water security are the three problem areas most cited by Australia's regions.
While the cost of housing in regional and remote areas tends to be lower than in major cities, other costs are higher. The costs of food and petrol, for example, increase with remoteness, so that in very remote areas they are respectively about 15–20 per cent and 10 per cent more expensive than in major cities.
Rural poverty results from inequalities in groups, households and individuals to access resources (such as income, land, inputs, capital, education and public transfer payments), their ability to use these resources, and their ownership of them.
Rural and remote students have reduced access to education services compared to metropolitan students. These students attend school less frequently, are less likely to go to university and are more likely to drop out if they enrol.
Rural areas do not have land scarcity. There is very high pollution in urban areas due to high population density, vehicles and industries. Jobs are concentrated in agricultural activities. In urban areas, the problem of social barriers is minimal, there are equal opportunities for jobs, education etc.
Further, most urban poor live in slums that are unregulated, have congested conditions, are overcrowded, are positioned near open sewers, and restricted to geographically dangerous areas such as hillsides, riverbanks, and water basins subject to landslides, flooding, or industrial hazards.
Rural areas have less air pollution, because there is not as much congestion from cars, and you don't have the manufacturing facilities found in urban areas. Less Crime. Rural areas do not have as much crime as a higher populated urban area. This also makes insuring your property cheaper due to a lower crime rate.
According to the current delineation, released in 2012 and based on the 2010 decennial census, rural areas comprise open country and settlements with fewer than 2,500 residents. Urban areas comprise larger places and densely settled areas around them. Urban areas do not necessarily follow municipal boundaries.