| There has been considerable debate in Australia over the last decade about the issue of locational disadvantage. This study provided a series of maps describing the relative degree of access to different public and private sector services across non-metropolitan Australia. Access was defined in terms of road distance between rural and regional population centers of varying population size and service centers, by applying the ARIA index (Accessibility/Remoteness Index of Australia). A distance of 80 kms was chosen as the critical cut-off point, as this distance readily translates into a one hour driving distance outside capital cities and major metropolitan centers. This concept allows for modeling of service access and coverage for different service centers and local populations. |