Rural Social Work and Social Welfare in the Australian Context

Abstract

Published literature on Australian rural social work and social welfare has recently started to become available. For the most part, this has concerned specific issues, target groups, communities and regions. The present paper addresses four broader questions. How does Australian society influence rural life? What are some of the important parameters of rural Australia? What challenges does rural Australia issue to practice, policy and services? And which principles might be most useful in meeting these? The paper concludes with some possible future directions for the social work profession in its efforts to be useful for rural Australians.