The challenges being faced by the most marginalised people in Australia are absent from the policy announcements of the major parties.

Anyone who cares about the plight of those at the edges of our society should be concerned about this. If you call Jesus Lord, then you in particular should share this concern.

Jesus didn't just call people to a right theology; he offered them holistic transformation; he met people where they were at cared for their physical and spiritual needs. 

Anglicare Sydney has just launched new research this week in the 2010 State of Sydney Report that is likely to be quite unpopular. Unpopular because it is being released at a time when the nation's eyes are focussed on an election campaign that is racing to capture the safe middle ground.

But a failure to talk about important issues does not make them go away. 

The State of Sydney Report finds that single parents, Indigenous Australians, those with a disability and people in public housing still experience significant social exclusion in Sydney. 

Where has the vision for an inclusive society gone?

Back in 2007 there was a sense that there was unfinished and unaddressed business with regard to the poor and marginalised in this country, and that we could make big changes. Where has that energy gone?

The Federal Labor Government rightly adopted social inclusion as a test of social policy, recognising that broad factors conspire to produce patterns of disadvantage. Anglicare strongly supports the ongoing use of this framework.

But talk can be cheap, and in a rich country like Australia that is morally unacceptable. As well as understanding the impact of policy, more action is needed.

What action is needed?

1. Address high demand for Emergency Relief from families with complex needs

Between July 2007 and February 2010 nearly 18,000 people made 43,000 visits to the seven Anglicare Emergency Relief centres across Sydney. 

For the majority of people accessing Anglicare's Emergency Relief services, social exclusion is fuelled by housing insecurity, homelessness and poor access to support services. Case management and more secure tenancy in public housing would go a long way to reduce social exclusion.

2. More secure housing will help refugees settle in communities

Housing insecurity also stops African refugees in Sydney from becoming a part of the wider community. Combined with language barriers, disrupted education and poor cash flow, these families live in a web of disadvantage. 

Federal and State Government funding for a refugee-specific housing advisory service and an increase in the supply of public housing would help refugees navigate the real estate system for appropriate housing and contribute to reducing their experience of exclusion.

3. Stop overlooking older parents caring for their disabled children

The isolation experienced by ageing parent carers is also widely misunderstood and is unlikely to rate a mention in the coming weeks. 

In 2003 the Australian Bureau of Statistics estimated that there were 454,000 parent carers aged over 65 years. In 2005 Access Economics found the replacement cost of informal care-givers was around $30.5 billion per annum.

Anglicare suggests that better case management, transition plans and in-home respite care services are the best ways to support carers and improve outcomes for those they care for. 

Further increases in the Carers Payment, Carer Allowance and Disability Support Pension are also needed to ensure carers are better able to care for their loved ones and themselves. 

Make your vote count for more than your own interests.

In Australia, we all have the opportunity to vote. But let's make sure we also live in a nation where everybody counts.

*Peter Kell is the CEO of ANGLICARE Sydney, one of Australia's largest community service organisations.