Melbourne's inner north covering Darebin, Moreland and Yarra includes more than 30 suburbs from Richmond, Fitzroy and Brunswick northwards to include Fawkner, Gowanbrae and Reservoir. More than 330,000 people live in this diverse community people live in this diverse community where local talent is nurtured, differences are celebrated and expression is encouraged.

Many people in our neighbourhoods are missing out on opportunities that many take for granted, for example;

• Aboriginal people are missing out on jobs - the unemployment rate among local aboriginal people is more than double that of non-aboriginal residents
• Our local aboriginal population is young - the proportion of our aboriginal community who are under 30 years of age is double that of our non-aboriginal community
• Residents in Darebin and Moreland have lower than average internet access at home and fewer have post-school qualifications
• The number of people in Victoria who want to work for more hours than they currently do, has increased substantially over the past 3 years (9.4% in 2007 up to 12.4% in 2010)
• Average house prices across our suburbs have continued to soar over the past 2 years despite the recent economic concerns.

The 2011 census will provide an interesting insight as to the extent to which households in our community have recovered from the economic troubles and whether people's access to services and opportunities has improved.