Junee and Yanco rank among poorest Australian postcodes

Using data from the 2021 census, ABS have mapped relative levels of socio-economic disadvantage by postcode and local government area across the country.

According to the ABS, there is a clear disparity between wealth in the bush, and capital cities.

"Generally, disadvantaged areas tend to be in regional and remote communities, while advantaged areas tend to be in major cities," they wrote in an April press release.

"Of the ten highest scoring LGAs in Australia, six are in Sydney, three in Perth, and one in Darwin."

The index uses SEIFA scores - a measure of relative socio-economic disadvantage used by the ABS to determine the prosperity of an area compared to others. as a purely comparative measure, it does not indicate absolute standard of living.

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How does the Riverina compare to the rest of the country?

Poorly. three of 28 Riverina postcodes received an above average score, and all have circumstances that place them outside the day to day economy of the Riverina. All have populations of under 400, compared to Wagga's 61, 511.

The highest scoring area, Kapooka (2661), is populated primarily by Australian Defence Force personnel, who receive a number of benefits that reduce their cost of living, as well as higher average wages than common professions in the surrounding areas.

The other two above average postcodes, Wallendbeen (2588) Coolac (2727), both fall within the Cootamundra Gundagai local government area. Mayor Charlie Sheahan said that while both communities have wealthy residents, high level statistics for small communities can be misleading.

"Coolac and Wallendbeen are long established farming and agricultural areas,"

"Given the recent exceptionally good prices, particularly on sheep, beef and wool production, it translates across into those figures.

"That's not to say those areas don't also have low socio-economic families ... there are people out there because it's the only place they can afford to rent."

Cr Sheahan said comparisons like these were more complicated in the bush than the city, because smaller populations made it harder to generalise about the kinds of people who lived there.

Which Riverina postcodes are most disadvantaged?

Yanco (2703) was the Riverina's most socio-economically challenged postcode, with a score of 854, and ranked 78^th worst.

Junee, Darlington Point and Batlow also fell in the most disadvantaged decile, all with scores under 870.

Junee Mayor Neil Smith was also surprised by his town's score, given his perception of it as a tight knit, prosperous community.

"I'm gobsmacked, I really am," he said.

"We have great services and connectivity for a town our size ... we even have great medical services, which is not something most country towns can seem to attract," he said.

"I really find it hard to understand it - All I can think of is all the things that make Junee a great place to live and thrive - I just see so many people enjoying each other's company, from all different demographics."

Cr Smith said the local prison likely had an impact on the numbers, as the prison population made up a significant minority of those living in Junee. He said it would be "fascinating" to see the numbers without the prison population included.

According to the NSW Department of Communities and Justice, Junee Correctional Centre has 1270 beds - enough to house 20 per cent of the postcode's population.

How does SEIFA measure socio-economic disadvantage?

SEIFA combines census data such as income, education, employment, occupation, housing and family structure to summarise the socio-economic characteristics of an area.

This broad based approach to the index ensures that cost of living, work opportunities and social environment are accounted for in the index.

Each area receives a SEIFA score indicating how relatively advantaged or disadvantaged that area is compared with other areas. A score of 1000 indicates an area is average by national standards. Scores between 900 and 1100 indicate an area is neither particularly advantaged or disadvantaged.

Rank indicates the level of disadvantage, relative to the most disadvantaged areas. Australia's most disadvantaged postcode (Woorabinda, 4713) has a rank of 1, down to Australia's most advantaged postcode (Canberra, 2601) with a rank of 2627.

Decile gives further context, by breaking areas into ten even portions, and ranking them one to 10 based on their SEIFA score.

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