SBS has revealed it will be bringing back its controversial Struggle Street program for a third season, as the show shifts its focus to rural and regional Australia.
Premiering 9 October, 8.30pm on SBS, the third season of Struggle Street will explore the economic, social and intergenerational struggles facing Australians in rural and regional communities.
The four-part observational documentary will feature stories of those in the Riverina region of New South Wales - from the regional centre of Wagga Wagga to smaller country towns.
The stories explored are representative of the issues affecting people throughout Australia, including the impact of the current drought, unemployment, access to healthcare, homelessness, the effects of drugs and alcohol, the challenges facing those with mental ill-health and physical disabilities and the decline of small-town rural Australia.
“As a public broadcaster, it’s part of our role to make shows that challenge audience perceptions and drive national conversation around difficult issues," SBS television and online content director Marshall Head says.
"The first two seasons of Struggle Street did just that and received a largely positive response from those who watched it and from people working in the social sector.”
SBS stated that in the four years since the network first aired Struggle Street, the country remains at "crisis point", with more than three million Australians (13.2%) living below the poverty line.
Poverty and hardship is a problem that is getting worse, and for more than 30% of the population living outside Australia’s capital cities, disadvantage is more prevalent.
“The third season of Struggle Street will build on the landmark series by shining a light on the people and communities experiencing poverty and social disadvantage outside our cities, and contribute to a better understanding of the many issues they face," Head says.
"They are stories about contemporary Australia that deserve sharing – and stories that are sadly too often ignored.
SBS is working with a range of organisations to increase the reach and impact of Struggle Street in the community.
In partnership with the University of Sydney’s Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use, Social Policy Research Centre and Charles Sturt University, SBS is creating the second iteration of its successful ‘The Truth About…’ video series.
These videos will address common myths around poverty and contributing factors in Australia, interviewing experts, frontline workers and those with lived experiences to bust myths around some of society’s biggest misconceptions.
‘The Truth About…’ series first launched during the second series of Struggle Street as online videos, extending to educational impact videos which ran in GP clinics across Australia.
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