Mental health experts and advocates have fronted a NSW inquiry into the “prevalence, causes and impacts of loneliness”.
The inquiry has received over 130 submissions from organisations and individuals since it was announced by the NSW Government earlier this year.
Ending Loneliness Together – the peak national body on social health – told the inquest an estimated 29% of people in NSW “report loneliness at any given time”.
Several stakeholders are calling on the State Government to establish a Minister for Loneliness to address the issue.
About loneliness
More than 42% of Australians aged 15 to 24 reported psychological distress in 2021, according to national data. The figure is the highest rate of loneliness across all age groups.
The findings, released in February, were included in the latest Household, Income, and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) report.
HILDA acknowledged loneliness rates increased during the pandemic, but noted concerns about a “longer-term trend” of loneliness.
NSW Loneliness Inquiry
In August, NSW Mental Health Minister Rose Jackson announced a Parliamentary Inquiry on the impacts of loneliness.
Jackson called loneliness “a significant public issue” and said the inquiry would “pave the way for practical solutions,” including support measures for at-risk groups.
The State Government is working with mental health experts, advocates, “and those with a lived experience of loneliness” for its inquiry.
Hearings
A day of public hearings last week examined “the extent, causes and impacts of loneliness.”
Several advisors, researchers, and mental health professionals were called to appear as witnesses, including Ending Loneliness Together CEO Professor Michelle Lim.
Lim called for a long-term “evidence-based strategy” to “promote
social connection and address loneliness” in NSW.
Beyond Blue CEO Greg Jennings echoed Lim’s calls for a Government strategy.
Ending Loneliness Together suggested a NSW ‘Minister for Social Connection’ be established to coordinate the strategy’s delivery.
Global firm KPMG and the Groundswell Foundation also called for a similar Ministerial appointment. It cited the UK, which launched the world’s first Minister for Loneliness in 2018.
Representatives from Relationships Australia appeared at the hearing, where they called for government-funded awareness campaigns and boosted research efforts into addressing loneliness.
Dr. Abbey Love from Autism Spectrum Australia said Autistic people “are among the populations most at risk for loneliness and social isolation.”
This also translated to higher rates of depression and social anxiety.
Love’s submission flagged “a critical void in the data needed” to address “the prevalence of loneliness and social isolation among Autistic adults in NSW.”
Autism Spectrum Australia is calling for more research “to address this issue effectively.”
Economic impacts
In its submission to the inquiry, the Business Council of Australia (BCA) noted the economic impacts of loneliness. It estimated healthcare costs associated with loneliness have reached $2.7 billion per year.
BCA urged the NSW Government to consider the broad ramifications of loneliness on “individuals, communities and the economy.”
It called on the Government to consider “at-risk groups” in its future policy initiatives and to acknowledge “that a one-size-fits-all approach will not be the solution.”
Opposition
Shadow Mental Health Minister Robyn Preston has welcomed the NSW loneliness inquiry.
“The Covid-19 pandemic particularly brought to the surface festering issues of loneliness and the huge impacts it has on one’s metal health and wellbeing,” Preston told TDA.
Preston hopes the inquiry will shed light on a range of issues, “from the impact [loneliness] has on our youth to the ramifications felt by our seniors.”
A second day of public hearings for the inquiry is scheduled for 12 December.
