Introduction
The Second Transport, Social Disadvantage and Well-Being Forum will be held on Thursday 19 July 2007 in Melbourne.
It is jointly hosted by Department of Infrastructure in conjunction with the Department of Victorian Communities, Monash University, the
Brotherhood of St Laurence, the Bus Association of Victoria, the RACV,
the Victorian Council of Social Service, and the Victorian Community
Transport Association. These organisations have come together to form
the Transport and Social Inclusion Committee (TASIC) to raise awareness
and promote transport and social disadvantages issues.
Reason for the Forum
Transport and social disadvantage is increasingly being recognised as a key issue nationally and internationally. Considerable debate and discussion has occurred in recent years regarding transport disadvantage, its causes and effects, the link to social disadvantage in general and on the possible interventions to reduce transport disadvantage.
In 2006 the Transport, Social Disadvantage and Well-Being Forum brought together for the first time policy makers, academics and practitioners from both the transport and social professional disciplines to explore how transport can make a difference in people’s lives. The Forum helped raise the level of debate in this area and generated ideas for moving forward.
The Second Transport, Social Disadvantage and Well-Being Forum will reflect on progress and developments made over the past year and to help map future directions.
The 2007 Forum’s objectives are to:
- provide a progress report on what has been achieved from transport initiatives from both a government and non-government perspective;
- identify gaps or barriers that should be addressed, whether they be regulatory, policy, planning, governance and service delivery;
- enhance the quality of decision making by continuing the open dialogue process between policy makers, academics, practitioners and the general community; and
- expand the understanding of transport provision, social disadvantage and well-being issues.