3236.0 - Household and Family Projections, Australia, 1996 to 2021  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 29/10/1999   
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At 30 June
The date in the year to which the data refers.

Average annual growth rate
The average annual growth rate, r, is calculated as a percentage using the formula:

Formula - Average annual growth rate
where P0 is the population at the start of the period, Pn is the population at the end of the period and n is the length of the period between Pn and P0 in years.

Average household size
Average household size refers to the number of persons per household in private dwellings.

Balance of State or Territory
The aggregation of all Statistical Divisions (SD) within a State or Territory other than its Capital City SD. (See Major Statistical Region in Australian Standard Geographical Classification (ASGC) (Cat. no. 1216.0).)

Capital city
Refers to the Capital City Statistical Divisions of States and Territories as defined in Statistical Geography: Volume 1- Australian Standard Geographical Classification (ASGC) (Cat. no. 1216.0).

Child
A child is a person of any age who is a natural, adopted, step or foster son or daughter of a couple or lone parent, usually resident in the same household. A child is also any individual under 15, usually resident in the household, who forms a parent-child relationship with another member of the household. This includes otherwise related children under 15 and unrelated children under 15.

In order to be classified as a child, the persons can have no partner or child of his/her own usually resident in the household. A separate family in the household is formed in this instance. If a person is aged under 15 and has a partner/spouse these relationships are not recorded.

Couple family with children
A family based on two persons who are in a registered or de facto marriage, who are usually resident in the same household. The family must include one or more children usually resident in the same household. The family may include any number of other related individuals usually resident in the household.

Couple family without children
A family based on two persons who are in a registered or de facto marriage, who are usually resident in the same household and have no children usually resident in the same household. The family may include any number of other related individuals usually resident in the household.

Couple only family
See 'couple family without children'.

Dwelling
A dwelling is a building or structure in which people live. This can be a house, a block of flats, a caravan or tent, humpy or park bench. For the purposes of Census of Population and Housing, dwellings are classified into private and non-private dwellings. Each of these dwelling types is further divided into occupied and unoccupied dwelling categories.

Estimated resident households
Estimated resident households is a measure of the number of households of the usually resident population. It is based on the census count of households which is adjusted for missed households, households of overseas visitors, households of Australian residents where all members were temporarily overseas at the time of the Census and households of Australian residents where all members were not home on census night and spent census night in a non-private dwelling in Australia.

Estimated resident population (ERP)
Estimated resident population (ERP) are estimates of the Australian population obtained by adding to the estimated population at the beginning of each period the components of natural increase (on a usual residence basis) and net overseas migration. For the States and Territories, account is also taken of estimated interstate movements involving a change of usual residence.

Estimates of the resident population are based on adjusted (for underenumeration) census counts by place of usual residence, to which are added the number of Australian residents estimated to have been temporarily overseas at the time of the Census. Overseas visitors in Australia are excluded from this calculation.

After each census, estimates for the preceding intercensal period are revised by incorporating an additional adjustment (intercensal discrepancy) to ensure that the total intercensal increase agrees with the difference between the ERPs at the two respective census dates.

The concept of ERP links people to a place of usual residence within Australia. Usual residence is that place where each person has lived or intends to live for six months or more within a given reference year.

Family
A family is defined by the ABS as: two or more persons, one of whom is at least 15 years of age, who are related by blood, marriage (registered or de facto), adoption, step or fostering, and who are usually resident in the same household. The basis of a family is formed by identifying the presence of either a couple relationship, lone parent-child relationship or other blood relationship. Some households will, therefore, contain more than one family.

Family type
A classification of families based on the presence or absence of a couple relationship, parent-child relationship, or other blood relationship.

Group household
A group household is a household consisting of two or more unrelated people where all persons are aged 15 years or over. There are no reported couple relationships, parent-child relationships or other blood relationships in these households.

Household
A household is a group of two or more related or unrelated people who usually reside in the same dwelling, who regard themselves as a household and who make common provision for food or other essentials for living; or a person living in a dwelling who makes provision for his or her own food and other essentials for living, without combining with any other person. Households include group households of unrelated persons, same-sex couple households, single-parent households as well as one-person households. A household may consist of:

  • one person;
  • one family;
  • one family and unrelated individual(s)
  • related families with or without unrelated individual(s);
  • unrelated families with or without unrelated individual(s);
  • unrelated individuals.

A household resides in a private dwelling only (including caravans etc. in caravan parks). Persons usually resident in non-private dwellings, such as hotels, motels, boarding houses, jails and hospitals, are not included in household counts.

Household count
The count of households is the number of households enumerated or counted in the Census. It is not adjusted for underenumeration, households of overseas visitors, households of Australian residents where all members were temporarily overseas at the time of the Census, households of Australian residents where all members were not home on census night and spent census night in a non-private dwelling in Australia, and households of Australian residents where some members were not at home on census night and were counted as a separate household elsewhere. Characteristics of households are available according to place of enumeration.

Household population
The household population is the estimated resident population (ERP) that usually lives in private dwellings. It is the ERP less the population that usually lives in non-private dwellings.

Household type
Household type is used to describe and categorise households on the basis of the number of families present, and whether or not unrelated household members are present (if it is a family household), or the number of household members (if it is a non-family household).

Intercensal discrepancy
Intercensal discrepancy is the difference between two estimates of a census year population, the first based on the latest census and the second arrived at by updating the previous census date estimate with intercensal components of population change which take account of information available from the latest census. It is caused by errors in the start and/or finish population estimates and/or in estimates of births, deaths or migration in the intervening period which cannot be attributed to a particular source.

Living arrangement
Living arrangement combines the three concepts 'relationship in household', 'family type' and 'household type'. It is used to describe the familial and non-familial relationship type of each person, within each family type, and within each household type.

Lone parent
A person who has no spouse or partner present in the household but who forms a parent-child relationship with at least one child usually resident in the household.

Lone person
A person who makes provision for his or her food and other essentials for living, without combining with any other person to form part of a multi-person household. He or she may live in a dwelling on their own or share a dwelling with another individual or family.

Non-private dwelling (NPD)
Non-private dwellings (NPDs) are residential dwellings with accommodation which are not included in the Census of Population and Housing list of private dwelling categories. NPDs are classified according to their function. They include hotels, motels, guest houses, gaols, religious and charitable institutions, military establishments, hospitals and other communal dwellings. Where this type of accommodation includes self-contained units (as provided by hotels, motels, homes for the elderly and guest houses), the units are enumerated as part of the NPD. Complexes such as retirement villages, which have a combination of self-contained units, hostel and/or nursing home accommodation, are enumerated as NPDs.

Occupied private dwelling
An occupied private dwelling is defined as the premises occupied by a household on census night (see Household).

One-parent family
A family consisting of a lone parent with at least one child (regardless of age) who is also usually resident in the household. The family may also include other related individuals.

Other family
A family of related individuals residing in the same household. These individuals do not form a couple or parent-child relationship with any other person in the household and are not attached to a couple or one-parent family in the household. For example, a household consisting of a brother and sister only.

Other related individual
An individual who is related to, but does not form a couple or parent-child relationship with, other members of the household.

Partner
A person in a couple relationship with another person usually resident in the same household. The couple relationship may be in either a registered or de facto marriage, and includes same-sex couples.

Population count
The Census of Population and Housing enumerates persons on the basis of where they were located on census night. The Census also produces information on people according to their place of usual residence. This information is coded to Statistical Local Areas. This means that census counts of people can be produced according to their location on census night as well as their place of usual residence.

Private dwelling
A private dwelling (PD) in the Census is defined as a house, flat, part of a house, or even a room; but can also be a house attached to, or rooms above shops or offices; an occupied caravan in a caravan park or boat in a marina, a houseboat, or a tent if it is standing on its own block of land. A caravan situated on a residential allotment is also classed as a PD.

Relationship in household
Describes the familial and non-familial relationship of each person within each family in a given household. The familial relationship within each family is measured with reference to a family reference person chosen for that particular family.

Residents temporarily overseas
Residents temporarily overseas are Australian residents who are overseas for a period less than 12 months.

SLA Code
Name and numerical code of a Statistical Local Area classified by State/Territory, Statistical Division and Statistical Subdivision from the Australian Standard Geographical Classification (ASGC 1996).

Two-parent family
See 'couple family with children'.

Unoccupied private dwellings
These are structures built specifically for living purposes which are habitable, but unoccupied at the time of the Census of Population and Housing. Vacant houses, holiday homes, huts, cabins (other than seasonal workers' quarters) and houseboats are counted as unoccupied dwellings. Also included are newly completed dwellings not yet occupied, dwellings which are vacant because they are due for demolition or repair, dwellings to let and dwellings where all members of the household were absent on census night.

Usual residence
Usual residence within Australia refers to that address at which the person has lived or intends to live for a total of six months or more in a given reference year.