The Salvation Army has released its second National Social Justice Stocktake Report (NSJSR), with 16,000 people interviewed throughout Australia on what they see as the most important social issues facing our country.

With a large sample size, you can break down the data into particular federal seats. We spoke to the Capt. Philip Sutcliffe from the Northern Rivers Salvos about the findings as we head into a federal election before May 17.

It is not surprising to see housing as the number one issue, given the housing crisis in Lismore and the Northern Rivers and all over Australia.

78.4% of people in the survey identified housing affordability and homelessness as the issues with the most concern. 42.2% identified that as an issue for themselves.

"The data is really good at actually just quantifying for us what we have seen in reality on a day-to-day basis. People in our community, in particular post floods, are struggling with housing all around. This is a conversation that we have had with so many people that housing affordability and availability are some of the biggest stresses that they have in their everyday life.

(Captain Philip Sutcliffe outside of the Salvation Army building in Goonellabah)

"That in itself, then obviously leads to the other side, which is causing a huge issue with people's mental health. They never have the time to rest and relax. They're always worried about how they are going to pay the next bill. Are they going to be evicted soon? If I am going to be evicted, how am I going to find another house?

"And then we've still got, obviously, the concerns in our community about people who haven't been eligible for a buyback. I'm trying to rebuild and move back into my house that was flooded. Are we going to flood again? All these kinds of questions. It's just this big pot of feelings and emotions for our community."

In Page, the Salvos said the best estimates indicate that it is short 6,000 dwellings. An issue that will not be solved within the next three years.

"In the last 12 months in our service here at the Salvation Army, we've seen more and more people come in each week, where a husband and wife, or two partners who are both working full time, by the time they've paid their bills and they've paid all the outgoings for the essential things in their life, not the things that they want to add on, but just the essentials, they go; How do I feed my family?

"So things like our food pantry that we operate here has become more and more of a staple for people in our community because they need a little bit of relief somewhere," Capt. Sutcliffe said.

The other issues that made the Top 5 in Page could correlate to the lack of housing:

• Alcohol and drug misuse
• Financial hardship and inclusion
• Mental health
• Access to Healthcare

"Absolutely, they correlate. A lot of people just want some relief from the stresses of life, and unfortunately, a lot of people do turn to alcohol and drug misuse. We've seen a lot of that in our community again post floods, and it does tie into that mental health aspect as well.

"We've been journeying with different people that, because of the stress, have gone out and tried different stuff, and then we've had to journey with them as they go through how that affects their life. That is particularly true for drugs in this area as they come in waves throughout our community. We see firsthand some of the devastating effects that it does have on people, their lives, their families and on everything else that it then affects when they get addicted."

Financial hardship and inclusion increased its importance as a social issue in the last three years. The 2022 survey showed 26% of people identified themselves as being in financial hardship, which increased to 37.3% in 2025.

"Here in Page, we see that financial hardship and inclusion and the mental health aspect for a lot of people. They're being stretched in so many different areas. We're often providing financial assistance for people just to get the medication they need or access to the health services they need.

"And even though our community has come forward in a lot of ways in terms of access to things like mental health support, post floods, so many people are still having to travel up to the Gold Coast or Brisbane to actually access the specialist services that they need.

"And we all know about the cost of living prices. Look at the cost of fuel, particularly here in Lismore; we're always more expensive than all the other towns around us. So, for so many people to be able to fill up their car and then get up to the Gold Coast to visit their specialist and then come back again, that can take their entire week's income, whether it's through Centrelink benefits or if they are working, it's an expensive exercise to get up there to access the things that should be readily available for all people in our communities."

With the third anniversary of the 2022 big flood days away, the Top 5 social issues have seen changes in this survey. The 2022 survey was completed before floods devastated our community, so the effect on results and rankings has been exacerbated.

Not only that, the survey revealed an overwhelming sense of urgency in response to perceived government inaction. Many respondents left messages calling on decision-makers to put politics aside and prioritise action.

"We certainly see a lot of that around here," Capt Sutcliffe said, "And there's certainly lots of chatter around about the bureaucratic response and the amount of red tape and the time it takes for government to respond for us in our community.

"We're three years on from the flood now, and you can drive around town see that we've come a long way, but there's always a constant reminder about how far we still have to go. And so, sitting in both areas where I am in regular conversations with state and federal politicians, you see that stuff is happening behind the scenes, and it does take time to happen, but then for the people who have to live through this every single day, that just adds to the burden and the stress and the mental anxiety that they face."