Lang Lang in need: report

By Elizabeth Lillis
LANG Lang and surrounding rural localities have been ranked in the top 10 disadvantaged postcodes in Victoria.
The level of unemployment, the number of lowincome families, the level of internet access and the number of early school leavers were among the main indicators in which the 3984 postcode ranked poorly.
The report, titled Dropping Off the Edge was released last week by Sydney University Professor researcher Tony Vinson.
Jesuit Social Services and Catholic Social Services Australia commissioned the report research. Other indicators used in the study included domestic violence, childhood injuries and criminal convictions.
The 3984 postcode is made up of 13 localities in the local government areas of Cardinia and Bass Coast including Lang Lang, Monomeith, Caldermeade, Coronet Bay, Grantville, The Gurdies and Corinella.
The postcode area has an estimated population of just under 4000 people.
A total of 3984 people fell in the second band of disadvantage, meaning the area ranked between the sixth and 10th most disadvantaged postcode in Victoria.
Cardinia Port Ward councillor Doug Hamilton said the findings did not come as a surprise to him.
“The disadvantage in 3984 has been highlighted before,” he said.
Cr Hamilton said the latest report concerned him and it highlighted the need for improved infrastructure. “Things are also changing with land prices near the coast increasing, which may impact on results in future studies,” he said.
The study aims to highlight troubled areas and bring attention to them so governments can target them for assistance.
Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the Australia Tax Office and Centrelink was used to calculate the findings.
Project manager Father Peter Norden said targeted coordinated action was now needed from Federal and State Governments before the disadvantaged communities became even more destitute.
Cr Hamilton said members of the Lang Lang community pulled together well and the strength of the local community offset some of the disadvantage experienced.
“It is a community with great strengths which works hard to get things happening like the community centre, for example,” he said.
Professor Vinson said there was some evidence to suggest that social cohesion could play a role in overcoming some factors of disadvantage. “Although I’m not aware of Lang Lang itself, I have seen other cases of communities in New South Wales that demonstrate this,” he said.
A separate exercise undertaken as part of the report looked at the social cohesion of Victorian postcodes. An exercise found 155 high cohesion areas were disproportionately located within nonmetropolitan categories. Ruralurban and rural areas had approximately twothirds as many again of the high cohesion postcodes.
Cr Hamilton said isolation, lack of infrastructure and public transport were factors that impacted on the area.
“Council is working to gain a northsouth bus route to link the area to Pakenham,” he said.
Cr Hamilton said this would enable residents to be able to more easily access services not offered in Lang Lang and also access the new jobs being created in Pakenham as a result of the growth area population boom.