Research publications

On this page:


Our published research addresses the broad themes of:

  • Communal disadvantage
  • Support after suicide
  • Youth issues
  • Life satisfaction and happiness

How can I order a hardcopy publication?

Many of our publications are free to download or read online.

You can order hardcopy versions using a debit or credit card – simply follow the ‘Buy now’ link beside the publication.

Alternatively, you can order a hardcopy publication by printing and filling out our order form.


Communal disadvantage

Learn about persistent communal disadvantage in Australia in our series of reports spanning 20 years.

Dropping Off the Edge 2021 (2021)

Dropping off the Edge 2021 is the fifth instalment in a research series, clearly showing that complex and entrenched disadvantage is experienced by a small but persistent number of locations in each state and territory across Australia. As a society we cannot, and should not, turn away from the challenge of persistent and entrenched locational disadvantage, no matter how difficult it may be to solve the problem.

Authors: Robert Tanton, Lain Dare, Andrew Yule and Marita McCabe

Price: $30.00 | Buy now

Dropping Off the Edge 2015 (2015)

Dropping Off the Edge 2015 shows that complex and entrenched disadvantage is experienced by a small but persistent number of locations in each Australian state and territory.

Authors: Tony Vinson and Margot Rawsthorne, with Adrian Beavis and Matthew Ericson

Price: $30.00 | Buy now

Moving From the Edge (2010)

Moving From the Edge tells stories of achieving greater social inclusion in Australia. Through case studies, it personalises the policies and discussions about social inclusion.

Author: Tony Vinson | Price: $20.00 | Buy now

Dropping Off the Edge (2007)

This first edition of Dropping Off the Edge identifies and describes the complex web of disadvantage that ensnares generations of Australians.

The report uncovers the factors that must be solved for these communities, and our nation, to thrive.

Author: Tony Vinson | Download PDF

Community Adversity and Resilience (2004)

Community Adversity and Resilience follows on from Unequal in Life (1999), by measuring the concentrations of disadvantage according to postcode areas in New South Wales and Victoria. It proposes that certain innate characteristics be promoted to build greater cohesion rather than social exclusion.

Author: Tony Vinson | Price: $27.00 | Buy now

Unequal in Health (2001)

Access to comprehensive health services is one of the most important needs of Australians who experience social disadvantage.

This report maps how effectively access to health services is occurring in populations of the most disadvantaged postcodes in New South Wales and Victoria.

Author: Tony Vinson | Download PDF

Unequal in Life (1999)

Unequal in Life investigates the distribution of social disadvantage in Victorian and New South Wales by postcode.

Author: Tony Vinson | Download PDF


Support after suicide

Our Support After Suicide program has produced a series of publications to assist individuals and families bereaved by suicide.

We were fighting the system as well as the illness: Family perceptions of how Victoria responds to people at risk of suicide and their loved ones (2020)

This report explores the perspectives of family members of people in Victoria whose loved ones took their own lives. It describes how they viewed Victoria’s complex mental health system, both in how it responded to their loved one and to themselves.

Download the report
Tell Me What Happened (2019)

Many people feel daunted by the idea of telling a child about the suicide death of a loved one. This book features professional tips and advice on talking with children and young people about suicide, as well as first-person stories by program participants.

Author: Various | Price: $12.00 | Buy now

The Cost of Silence (2014)

Written by men who have lost someone to suicide, this publication includes their stories and poetry.

Author: Various | Price $12.00 | Buy now

Nothing Prepared Me for This (2012)

An anthology of work by writers who have experienced the loss of a loved one to suicide. Through workshops and discussions, the writers identified that when suicide occurs, the effect upon those left behind is like ripples in a pond. These ripples form the themes of writings presented in this book.

Author: Various | Price: $12.00 | Buy now

Thank You for Listening (2013)

A compassionate yet sobering light on the torment, bewilderment and, ultimately, the inspiring resilience of those left behind.

Author: Various | Price: $12.00 | Buy now


Gender Justice

Our gender justice program, The Men’s Project has produced a series of reports looking at the impact of rigid masculine stereotypes on the wellbeing and attitudes of boys and men.

Unpacking the Man Box

Unpacking the Man Box is based on a survey of 1,000 young Australian men aged 18 to 30. The report builds on the findings of The Men’s Project’s 2018 report The Man Box.

The new study finds young Australian men’s belief in rigid masculine stereotypes has a stronger impact on whether they will use violence, sexually harass women, or experience mental ill-health themselves, than other factors including their education levels, where they live or their cultural heritage.

Download the report
The Man Box

The Man Box: A study on being a young man in Australia is the first comprehensive study that focuses on the attitudes to manhood and the behaviours of young Australian men aged 18 to 30. It involved an online survey of a representative sample of 1,000 young men from across the country, as well as focus group discussions with two groups of young men. This study is modelled on research in the United States, United Kingdom and Mexico that was released by Promundo in 2017.

The findings shed a new light on the social pressures that young Australian men experience to be a ‘real man’ and the impact this can have on their wellbeing, behaviours and the safety of our wider community.

Download the report

Youth issues

Our research on young people covers diverse themes, including the remand of children, educational disadvantage, how the arts can reengage highly marginalised youth, how Catholic schools can best respond to the needs of same sex attracted students and to students’ illicit drug use.

Thinking Outside: Alternatives to remand for children (2013)

Thinking Outside reveals how vulnerable and disadvantaged Victorian children are being unnecessarily remanded. The research calls for reforms to halt this alarming practice including raising the age of criminal responsibility to 12.

Author: Jesuit Social Services | Price: $15.00 (Summary Report only) | Buy now or Download PDF (Full report)

I Just Want to Go to School (2012)

I Just Want to go to School captures voices of young people experiencing educational disadvantage in Australia. It outlines the key factors inhibiting educational engagement as expressed by the young people themselves and identifies key areas for policy change.

Authors: Lea Campbell, Magdalena McGuire and Ché Stockley | Download PDF

Watch videos of the 13 young people featured in the report:

Alexandra | Andy | Anna | Casey | Guy | Harry | Kate | Kevin | Madison | Natalie | Paul | Sarah | Walid

Young People in Remand in Victoria (2010)

Young People in Remand in Victoria analyses current Australian and international trends in evidence-based prison policy, including remand and its place in the criminal justice system.

Authors: Matthew Ericson & Tony Vinson | Download PDF

Not So Straight (2006)

Not So Straight is a national study that examines how Catholic schools can best respond to the needs of same sex attracted students.

Author: Peter Norton | Download PDF

Keeping Them Connected (2005)

Keeping Them Connected addresses the difficult and complex issue of how Australian Catholic secondary schools can best respond to incidents of illicit drug use by students.

Author: Peter Norton | Download PDF

Engaging Art (2003)

Engaging Art examines the role of the arts as a framework for socially reengaging highly marginalised young people.

Authors: Martin Thiele & Sally Marsden | Download PDF

A Just System? How Punitive Youth Justice Systems Increase the Risk of Crime (2017)

For children and young people who offend, contact with the justice system can lead to life-long offending, with evidence showing that the younger a child enters the justice system the more likely he/she is to have sustained contact and go on to reoffend (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), 2017). Local and international youth justice approaches that aim to rehabilitate or resocialise the child or young person often have more success in preventing reoffending (Elwick, Davis, Crehan, & Clay, 2013). So, what is it that makes an effective youth justice system, and how can we ensure that children and young people are diverted from the criminal justice system effectively and that those who offend do not continue into a life of crime?

Authors: Julie Edwards | Read more at Children Australia 


Life satisfaction and happiness

Life Satisfaction and Happiness (2012)

Life Satisfaction and Happiness shows that health, individual choice, local community and family relationships are better predictors of happiness and satisfaction than income.

Authors: Tony Vinson & Matthew Ericson | Download PDF