The NSW Parliament’s Standing Committee on Social Issues has released its final report on the prevalence, causes, and impacts of loneliness in NSW, calling for a whole-of-government strategy to address what it identifies as a significant public health and social issue.
The Inquiry Report on the prevalence, causes, and impacts of loneliness in NSW outlines key recommendations to address loneliness through community-led, whole-of-government action. It recognises that tackling loneliness is a shared responsibility requiring investment in local connection, lived experience leadership, and inclusive, accessible services.
The inquiry was established to better understand the scale and drivers of loneliness in NSW, and to identify effective solutions. It follows growing recognition that loneliness is not just a personal experience, but a significant public health and social issue.
For the community-managed mental health sector, the findings are both validating and serious. We’ve long known that loneliness is not just a personal hardship, but an urgent public health issue that is deeply intertwined with mental wellbeing, physical health, and social inclusion.
The Committee received 146 submissions and heard compelling evidence that loneliness often stems from structural disadvantage, shaped by financial stress, stigma and discrimination, and limited access to meaningful connections. People facing socioeconomic hardship are nearly seven times more likely to experience prolonged loneliness.
Crucially, the report calls for a coordinated, whole-of-government strategy that is grounded in community, led by lived experience, and upheld by all of us in the community.
Among the key recommendations:
- Investment in local neighbourhood and community centres to foster connection and belonging
- Expansion of peer support and mentoring programs, especially for young people, carers, people with disability, and those with lived experience of mental health challenges
- Adoption of social prescribing models to link people with community-based activities and supports
- Inclusive urban design and transport that ensures equitable access to green spaces, third spaces, and community services
- Workforce development to equip health and community workers to identify and respond to loneliness with compassion and skill.
These recommendations align closely with Mental Health Coordinating Council’s priorities in our submission: embedding trauma-informed, person-led practice, strengthening the peer workforce, and promoting social and emotional wellbeing across all services.
While the report does not explicitly name foundational supports, its findings strongly underscore their importance. The need for connection, participation, and community-based responses reinforces what our sector knows well: that flexible, community-based supports are essential to recovery and wellbeing.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, nearly 54% of people with lived experience of mental health challenges report high levels of loneliness – almost double the rate of the general population.
Solutions to pervasive loneliness already exist in the strengths of local communities, cultural connection, in the wisdom of lived experience, and in the work our sector does every day. What’s needed now is appropriate investment and a shared commitment to inclusion – to build a more connected, compassionate NSW where people can access the right support, in the right place, at the right time.
Read the Loneliness Inquiry Report
