Eight Years on the Fringe: What Has it Meant to be Severely or Fully Financially Excluded in Australia?

Overall, while the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) had a clear impact on various economic domains in 2008-2009, recovery was nonetheless fairly quick in many indicators across the country. However, the story is a different one for those on a low income, those at risk of economic instability, and the severely or fully financially excluded.

This report presents the story of the severely or fully financially excluded across Australia over the 2006 - 2013 period.

Between 2006 and 2013, almost one in six people in Australia were severely or fully financially excluded meaning that they still had no access to at least two basic financial products.

The Eight Years on the Fringe report highlights that financial exclusion is a stubborn problem and that people who are severely or fully financially excluded are at higher risk of poor economic, social and health outcomes.

The reports shows that:

• Australia has not shifted the problem of financial exclusion between 2006 and 2013 - approximately one in every six Australian were severely or fully financially excluded throughout 2006 - 2013
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians and people born in non-English speaking countries were over-represented in the severely or fully financially excluded group
• Financially excluded people were more likely to have higher unemployment levels and lower educational attainment
• Severely or fully financially excluded people were more likely to be young, rather than older, adults