Falling through the gaps

Less than one third of Australians feel a strong sense of community, and only half say they would ask for help from others if they needed it. These are just two startling statistics to emerge from the inaugural NRMA Index, a nationwide survey of more than 2000 Australians.

The NRMA represents 3.3 million members nationally and has launched this annual survey to give a voice to the concerns of Australians, and to help steer the organisation’s advocacy efforts.

The responses show only 11 per cent of Australians struggling to make ends meet would ask for help, while that figure almost triples (31 per cent) among those who feel financially confident.

Australians aged over 65 (38 per cent) and those who are financially confident (43 per cent) are more likely to feel a strong sense of community, while this drops to 20 per cent among those struggling to keep on top of their finances (20 per cent).

NRMA Group CEO Rohan Lund released the NRMA Index results at a Business Council of Co-operatives and Mutuals (BCCM) breakfast at NSW Parliament on March 19. NSW Treasurer Daniel Mookhey also addressed the gathering.

This event officially launched the United Nations designated Year of Co-operatives and Mutuals.

The NRMA Index was launched as polling conducted by the NRMA and its fellow motoring clubs found the top priority for Australian voters in the lead-up to this year’s federal election was cost of living (53 per cent) – almost eight times higher than the second-placed health and aged care (seven per cent).

Mr Lund spoke about the role of the “modern mutual” at a time when some Australians are struggling in a volatile and fractured world. He pointed to a government-led push in the UK to grow the number of mutuals and co-operatives as the preferred business model to drive change.

Mr Lund said mutuals and co-operatives offered the best corporate structure to fill the gaps between government and for-profit corporates, into which so many Australians had fallen.

“There is no denying that too many of our fellow Australians find themselves struggling, isolated and scared in 2025. As a nation we must work together to find solutions as we have done at every challenging point in our past,” Mr Lund said.

“The NRMA was formed as a mutual 105 years ago and since the first mutual was formed in Australia in 1834 they have played a critical role in building a fairer and more equitable nation. Mutuals don’t pay shareholder dividends but invest societal dividends to tackle the very challenges we face today.

“It is timely that 2025 is the UN Year of Cooperatives and Mutuals and as a nation we should follow the lead of others to find ways to grow this crucial sector that hires so many Australians, protects billions of dollars of their superannuation and works so hard to lift those left behind,” Mr Lund said.

The NRMA Index also found that only 19 per cent of Australians participate in local activities, although the number is significantly higher among those who feel financially confident (31 per cent) than those struggling (10 per cent).

Respondents said the biggest barriers to feeling connected were:

• An unwillingness to impose on others (38 per cent)
• Social anxiety (30 per cent)
• A lack of time (30 per cent)
• A level of trust in others (29 per cent)

Social anxiety was highest among younger Australians aged 18-24 (43 per cent), while a lack of spare time affected parents with children under the age of 18 the most (39 per cent).

Australians identified sports clubs and gyms as the most important hubs for face-to-face socialising (49 per cent), followed by parks (46 per cent), community centres (45 per cent) and local clubs and RSLs (45 per cent).

Almost two-thirds (63 per cent) spent time with family in the last three months and 55 per cent socialised with friends. Almost one in four (23 per cent) has done volunteer work in the last 12 months.

Australians are also looking to travel, with 76 per cent planning on taking a holiday domestically or internationally in the next six months, and half planning a road trip.

The NRMA currently owns or manages over 70 holiday destinations across Australia through its Parks & Resorts portfolio.

NRMA chief membership officer, Victoria Doidge, said pulling down the barriers to social isolation and financial hardship were vital to invigorating those parts of Australian society who were struggling and felt left behind.

“The findings of this index are confronting. In a nation built on mateship, too many of our neighbours are doing it tough, and with the devastation caused by cyclone Alfred earlier this month we know that for a greater number of Australians that hill just got steeper again,” Ms Doidge said.

“We also saw the best in what Australia has to offer with neighbours and communities coming together to sandbag properties, rescue stranded vehicles and sweep out flood-affected homes.

“The modern mutual is the ideal structure for government and business to come together and solve some of these big challenges and the NRMA takes this role seriously.”