Ending Loneliness Together in Australia White Paper

Ending Loneliness Together in Australia is the first white paper to highlight the growing problem of loneliness in Australia.

Ending Loneliness Together has released a landmark white paper which delivers recommendations across multiple sectors to drive a national approach to end loneliness.

“The impact of loneliness in Australia is broad and deep; it cuts across all sectors of our society” said Scientific Chair, Dr Michelle Lim, Australia’s leading scientific expert on loneliness.

“Loneliness relates to the quality of our social relationships and is typically characterised by subjective feelings of social disconnection. People feel that they don’t belong, or that they’re misunderstood. Loneliness distorts how we relate to others and disrupts social cohesion in our communities.”

“Loneliness was already prevalent in Australia prior to the onset of COVID-19. And the impact of loneliness is expected to endure beyond the immediate public health crisis. We need to address this issue on a national level, to respond to the current crisis, and prepare Australians to increase their social resilience for the future” Dr Lim said.

This paper brings together the latest research and data on the prevalence of loneliness. It identifies communities that are especially vulnerable to loneliness, and outlines the policy, practice and process pathways that can be modified and adapted to combat loneliness effectively.