The hidden cost of living outside a city is not sustainable or fair

Millions of people call regional and remote towns home. They are vibrant, diverse and resilient. Yet they are also places where disadvantage runs deepest. Distances are long, costs are high, and basic infrastructure is often missing. For too long, the systems that fund essential services have ignored these realities.

Anglicare Australia's new report, In Every Community, shows how funding models based on population size are failing people outside our cities. Nowhere is this clearer than in the Northern Territory.

On paper, the Territory's population is small. But the need is enormous. Communities face high rates of poverty, overcrowded housing, and intergenerational disadvantage.

Stretching dollars across vast distances and complex community contexts makes service delivery far more expensive. When funding models do nod to higher regional costs, they fall so far short that services are still left carrying the burden.

This mismatch is not abstract. It means aged care services are closing because staff can't be found. It means disability services are disappearing when costs outstrip contract funding. It means children are missing out on early interventions that could change the trajectory of their lives. In small towns, the loss of just one or two workers can cause entire programs to collapse.

At the same time, governments are expecting communities to pick up the pieces. Services are asked to stretch every dollar, make do with short-term contracts, and deliver more with less. The result is predictable: people in regional and remote Australia are left behind.

And yet, across the country, services and volunteers are stepping up. Local providers are training and growing their own workforces. They are building housing for their staff. They are partnering with schools and First Nations organisations to make services stronger.

These place-based solutions are working, but they are fragile. Without proper funding, they rely on the goodwill and sacrifice of local people who are already stretched to their limits.

This is not sustainable, and it is not fair.

If we want a country where your postcode doesn't determine whether you can see a doctor, get disability support, or age with dignity, we need reform. That starts with needs-based funding.

Instead of tying resources to population numbers, governments must account for the real costs of delivering services in high-need regions. That means weighting funding for housing shortages, workforce gaps, and long travel distances. It means resourcing communities like the Northern Territory in line with their realities, not their population share.

We also need to invest in the basics. Reliable digital access, safe transport, and affordable housing for workers are not luxuries.

They are the infrastructure of equity. Without them, families will continue to go without the care they need, and providers will keep battling to hold services together.

Above all, we need governments to trust and invest in local organisations. Communities know what works, but they cannot do it on their own.

Long-term, flexible funding will allow them to build on their strengths, rather than struggling to keep the lights on.

Australians believe in a fair go. But for too many people outside our cities, that fair go is slipping further away.

The good news is we know how to fix it.

With the right funding and policy settings, we can ensure that every community - from the heart of Sydney to the most remote corner of the Territory - has the care and support it needs.