1301.6.55.001 - Tasmanian Statistical News, Dec 2010  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 07/12/2010   
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HOT TOPICS



The 2011 Census and Tasmanian Aboriginal Communities
ABS assistance for the Tasmanian Cost of Living Strategy
World Statistics Day celebrations around Australia
NatStats 2010 Conference
Australian Social Trends
New release - Births, Australia 2009 (cat. no. 3301.0)
New release - Deaths, Australia, 2009 (cat. no. 3302.0)
New release - Estimates of Personal Income for Small Areas, 2003-04 to 2007-08 (cat. no. 6524.0.55.002)
New release - Wage and Salary Earner Statistics for Small Areas, Time Series, 2003-04 to 2007-08 (cat. no. 5673.0.55.003)


THE 2011 CENSUS AND TASMANIAN ABORIGINAL COMMUNITIES

The 2011 Census of Population and Housing will be conducted on 9 August 2011. Information collected in the Census is used extensively by policy and decision makers at national, state and local levels by government and non-government agencies.

The Census enables a range of quality data to be provided to agencies to inform the development of policies and the provision of services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people throughout Australia. It is also used to monitor progress of the implementation of national goals to reduce Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander disadvantage.

To ensure progress can be made, ABS Tasmania recognises the need to improve the accuracy of the responses of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in the 2011 Census and will build on the relationship established through the Tasmanian Indigenous Community Engagement Strategy (ICES) to enable this to occur.

ABS Tasmania will work strategically with Aboriginal communities, community members and community organisations to raise awareness of the Census and to discuss how Census data can meet the needs of their communities.

The ABS will visit Aboriginal communities in the lead up to the Census to seek advice about strategies to ensure the quality and accuracy of the data. Recently ABS staff visited Launceston, Flinders Island and Cape Barren Island for preliminary discussions about these strategies. These meetings were successful with positive support offered for the Census. ABS staff will continue to visit communities during 2011.




Image: We are off to Cape Barren Island!
We're off to Cape Barren Island!
Image: Denise Gardner, Manager Cape Barren Island Aboriginal Association and Liz Milewicz, ABS
Denise Gardner, Manager Cape Barren Island Aboriginal Association and Liz Milewicz, ABS

ABS ASSISTANCE FOR THE TASMANIAN COST OF LIVING STRATEGY
As part of the 2010-11 Budget, the State Government has funded the development of a Cost of Living Strategy for Tasmania. An ABS officer has recently begun a nine month outposting with the Social Inclusion Unit, Department of Premier and Cabinet (DPAC) to provide statistical support to the Tasmanian Cost of Living Strategy. The role of the outposted officer will be to provide an accurate picture of cost of living in Tasmania by developing an evidence base of relevant data and analysing the distribution of cost of living pressures experienced by various income groups and household types as well as places at risk of social exclusion in Tasmania. The Tasmanian Cost of Living Strategy is due for completion by June 2011.

Further information on this outposting can be obtained by contacting:

Ms Louise Hawker at ABS (tasmania.statistics@abs.gov.au), phone (03) 6222 5832; or

Ms Mellissa Gray at DPAC (mellissa.gray@dpac.tas.gov.au), phone (03) 6232 7141.


WORLD STATISTICS DAY CELEBRATIONS AROUND AUSTRALIA

The inaugural World Statistics Day, which was initiated by the United Nations, was celebrated on 20 October 2010. Statistics seminars and gatherings were held around the country within the ABS and across the wider statistical community.

ABS Central Office hosted a seminar with guest speaker Professor Glenn Withers from Universities Australia talking about the importance of statistics for policy making.

Brian Pink, the Australian Statistician, released:
  • A Guide for Using Statistics for Evidence Based Policy;
  • the recommendations of NatStats 2010 and the NatStats 2010 DVD; and
  • the Community Trust in ABS Statistics Survey final results

ABS State Offices celebrated World Statistics Day by holding seminars and presentations which demonstrated the statistical achievements in the different Australian regions. An important feature of this unique day was the recognition and celebration of the core values of the ABS - service to the nation, professionalism and integrity, and the commitment to these values by all ABS staff in their daily work.

The Tasmanian Office celebrated the day by hosting a gathering of users and producers of statistics within the Tasmanian Government associated with the Tasmanian Statistical Advisory Committee (TSAC). The meeting concluded with a morning tea during which attendees had the opportunity to network and discuss their individual projects and interests.

World Statistics Day provided a great opportunity to engage with stakeholders and to thank the general community for their trust in ABS statistics and their commitment to making Australia better by providing information on their lives, households, businesses and community issues.

For further information regarding World Statistics Day visit UNSD website.


Image: Professor Glenn Withers, Universities Australia
Professor Glenn Withers, Universities Australia
Image: Brian Pink, ABS
Brian Pink, ABS

NATSTATS 2010 CONFERENCE



The NatStats 2010 Conference was held from 15-17 September 2010 at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre, Darling Harbour.

The conference was very successful and attracted over 460 delegates, 54 presenters and 14 exhibitors both representing users and providers of data from government, business, the media, academia and the wider community.

The overall theme for NatStats 2010: "Measuring what counts: economic development, well-being and progress in 21st century Australia", explored drivers of economic and related social change that are shaping Australia's future development.

One of the key outcomes of the Conference was the development of a set of conference recommendations - broad, strategic objectives that will assist in setting directions for shaping a future statistical system that will be relevant and responsive to future challenges in Australia. The final recommendations were formally released on 20 October 2010, to celebrate World Statistics Day.

Please visit the NatStats 2010 Website to view the Conference Recommendations, speaker presentations and photos.


www.nss.gov.au/natstats2010
Image: NatStats Conference 2010Image: Brian Pink, ABS
Brian Pink, ABS

AUSTRALIAN SOCIAL TRENDS

September release of Australian Social Trends
The ABS released the last edition of Australian Social Trends (cat. no. 4102.0) on 29 September 2010. The publication draws together a wide range of statistics from the ABS and other official sources to provide a picture of Australian society and how it is changing over time.

The edition featured six articles:
  • Holidaying abroad
There were a record 6.8 million short-term departures by Australians in 2009-10, equivalent to 31 trips for every 100 Australians.
  • New Zealanders in Australia
There were 529, 200 New Zealand-born people living in Australia in 2009, up by 89% over the last two decades. In 2006, it was estimated that for every 100 New Zealanders living in New Zealand, there were 15 living in Australia.
  • Parental divorce or death during childhood
Compared with people whose parents did not divorce or separate, those who did, were less likely to finish school, more likely to enter a de facto relationship at a younger age, and of those who married, they were less likely to remain married.
  • The city and the bush: Indigenous wellbeing across Remoteness Areas
While there have been improvements in a range of indicators for Indigenous Australians in recent years such as school completion rates and employment, inequalities remain evident between Remoteness Areas.
  • Older people and the labour market
Just over one-third of all people aged 55 years and over (or 1.9 million people) were in the labour force in 2009-10, with this participation rate increasing strongly over the past decade.
  • Australian workers: Educational and workplace training
The labour force is becoming increasingly skilled with 66% of workers having a non-school qualification in 2009, up from 59% in 2001. One third of people aged 25-34 years had a bachelor degree or higher, making this group the most qualified.


National and state Indicators
National and state indicators show a range of statistics covering different social areas both at a national as well as state and territory level. Released in September were health and economic resources indicators.


December 2010 release of Australian Social Trends
The next release of Australian Social Trends on 14 December 2010 will have articles focusing on housing, households and fertility. The national and state indicators to be released at the same time relate to work, family and community, housing and international comparisons.

The September 2010 edition of Australian Social Trends (cat. no. 4102.0) is available for free download from the ABS website, www.abs.gov.au.
NEW RELEASE - BIRTHS, AUSTRALIA, 2009 (CAT. NO. 3301.0)

Parents in Tasmania are amongst Australia's youngest

There were 6,600 births registered to women living in Tasmania in 2009, approximately 2% less than in 2008 (6,800).

In 2009, the median age of Tasmanian women who gave birth was 29.1 years, while the median age of fathers (where age was known) was 31.7 years. These were both lower than the median ages recorded for Australia, and were the second youngest of all the states and territories (the Northern Territory recorded the youngest median ages).

As well as being younger, Tasmanian parents are less likely to be married at the time of the birth than in other states and territories. In 2009, Tasmania recorded the second highest proportion of babies born into ex-nuptial relationships (51%), following the Northern Territory (63%). Of these ex-nuptial births, only 6% were registered without acknowledgment from the father, however the number of ex-nuptial births may be understated due to the inclusion of birth notifications (see paragraphs 31 to 33 of the Explanatory Notes in Births Australia, 2009 (cat. no. 3301.0) for more information).

Tasmania recorded the highest total fertility rate (TFR) of all the states and territories in 2009, at 2.18 babies per woman. This was a decrease from the TFR of 2.24 babies per woman recorded for births registered during 2008. Over the past decade, the TFR for Tasmanian women has consistently been above the TFR for Australia.

Tasmanian women aged 25–29 years experienced the highest fertility rate of all age groups in 2009, with 130 babies per 1,000 women, while women aged 30–34 years recorded the highest fertility rate in all other states and territories in Australia. Tasmania also recorded the second highest teenage fertility rate for women aged 15–19 years, at 27.1 babies per 1,000 women, following the Northern Territory at 48.0 babies per 1,000 women aged 15–19 years. The teenage fertility rate for Australia was 16.7 babies per 1,000 women in 2009.

More details on births in Australia and the states and territories are available in Births, Australia, 2009 (cat. no. 3301.0).

Regional data will also be available from 9 December 2010.NEW RELEASE - DEATHS, AUSTRALIA, 2009 (CAT. NO. 3302.0)

There were 4,200 deaths registered in Tasmania in 2009 (2,100 for both sexes). This is a slight decrease (0.7%) from the number of deaths registered in 2008.

In 2009, Tasmania had a standardised death rate (SDR) of 6.7 deaths per 1,000 standard population which was the second highest recorded of all the states and territories. The SDR for Australia was 5.7 deaths per 1,000 standard population (Note: The standardised death rate removes the effect of different age structures in different populations).

The median age at death for Tasmania has increased over the past ten years. In 1999, the median age at death was 77.8 years, 3 years younger than the median age at death in 2009 (80.3 years). In 2009, Australia recorded a median age at death of 80.8 years.

The infant mortality rate (IMR) in Tasmania was the third lowest in Australia, with 3.6 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2009. The lowest IMRs were recorded in Western Australia (3.2 deaths per 1,000 live births) and the Australian Capital Territory (3.5 deaths per 1,000 live births). Australia recorded an IMR of 4.3 deaths per 1,000 live births.

More information on deaths in Tasmania, other states and territories and Australia can be found in Deaths, Australia, 2009 (cat. no. 3302.0).
NEW RELEASE - ESTIMATES OF PERSONAL INCOME FOR SMALL AREAS, TIME SERIES, 2003-04 to 2007-08 (CAT. NO. 6524.0.55.002)

This publication, released on 14 September 2010, presents selected data on estimates of personal income for the years 2003-2004 to 2007-2008. The publication analyses changes in total income and average income by income source.

These data include income from:

  • Wages and salaries
  • Own unincorporated business
  • Investment
  • Superannuation and annuities
  • Other sources (excluding Government pensions and allowances)

The data provides insights into the value of the various sources of income in regional economies. The publication's main features present an overview of the sources of personal income for Australia, highlighting some of the variations in growth rates. Data is presented on a range of geographical levels.

The publication shows that while people living in Hobart earn the highest average incomes in Tasmania, 6 of the top 10 high income regions are located outside the State's capital.

The Statistical Local Area (SLA) of Hobart - Remainder recorded an average total income of $47,389 in 2007-08, followed by Hobart - Inner ($46,051). West Coast ($43,377) and Launceston - Inner ($40,026) recorded the next highest average incomes. Kingborough - Part A, in the Greater Hobart area, rounded out the top five ($39,786).

Other SLAs to record average total incomes higher than the State average ($37,718) included Meander Valley - Part A ($39,329), Clarence ($39,070) and Burnie - Part A ($38,369).

More information can be found in Estimates of Personal Income for Small Areas, Time Series, 2003-04 to 2007-08 (cat. no. 6524.0.55.002).


NEW RELEASE - WAGE AND SALARY EARNER STATISTICS FOR SMALL AREAS, TIME SERIES, 2003-04 to 2007-08 (CAT. NO. 5673.0.55.003)

The latest edition of Wage and Salary Earner Statistics for Small Areas, Time Series, 2003-04 to 2007-08 (cat. no. 5673.0.55.003) was released on 6 October 2010. The publication looks at geographical variations in Wages and salaries and the characteristics of wage and salary earners such as age, sex and occupation. In this release, data are presented for the years 2003-04 to 2007-08 on a range of geographic levels. This product contains a main features which illustrates how the data can be used to explore the characteristics of regions at the small area level. A summary of key findings for each state and territory is also provided.

GROWTH OF AVERAGE INCOME FROM WAGES AND SALARIES - By Statistical Local Areas, Australia, 2003-04 to 2007-08
Image: Map of Growth of average income from wages and salaries - By Statistical Local Areas, Australia, 2003-04 to 2007-08

The publication shows that within the Greater Hobart Statistical Division, for two of the top five SLAs - Hobart (C) Inner and Hobart (C) Remainder, more than 30% of Wage and salary earners were employed as Professionals (compared to the State average of around 18%). This occupational group includes persons working in fields that are characterised by the need for a skill level equal to, or exceeding, a bachelor degree (or at least five years relevant experience). Occupations in this category include chemists, architects, accountants, engineers and dentists.
Across Tasmania there were more male wage and salary earners than female earners, with males accounting for around 51% of the wage and salary earner population. However, in each of the top five average wage and salary earning SLAs in Greater Hobart Statistical Division (SD), female wage and salary earners outnumbered male earners, with females accounting for an average of 50.2% of earners in these areas.

More information can be found in Wage and Salary Earner Statistics for Small Areas, Time Series, 2003-04 to 2007-08 (cat. no. 5673.0.55.003).