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Activities

Involvement in the various culture and leisure activities included in the survey are defined below.

Art or craft. Persons were classified as being involved in the creation of art or craft works only if some or all of the products made were sold (other than to the creator's own family) or publicly displayed. Art or craft involvement was categorised into the following groups.

Visual art activities:
drawing, painting, sculpture, photography, print-making, computer art, and other art activities.
Craft activities:
pottery and ceramics, textiles, jewellery, furniture-making or woodcrafts, glass crafts, and other craft activities.

Public art galleries. This comprises those persons involved in the operation or administration of a public art gallery (e.g. State or National galleries). It includes those persons working as support staff. Art galleries are sometimes referred to as art museums.

Botanic gardens. This comprises those persons involved in the operation or administration of a botanic garden, and includes those persons working as support staff.

Cinema and video distribution. This includes involvement in any capacity in cinemas, video hire outlets and video sales, and includes persons working as support staff. Persons involved in distributing or screening films are also included. Video producers and script writers are included in other culture and leisure activities (e.g. film production, writing).

Computer art. This includes visual art created using a computer.

Design. This activity includes involvement in design professions (e.g. fashion, interior, graphic, architectural or advertising), but excludes industry design and drafting.

Drawing. This activity includes sketching, cartoons, calligraphy and other forms of drawing but excludes technical drawing (e.g. drafting). Architectural drawing is included under design.

Festival organising. This activity relates to organising any type of festival (e.g. ethnic, music, parade). Performers at festivals are included in other culture and leisure activities (e.g. music, performing arts).

Fete organising. This activity relates to organising any type of fete (e.g. local, school, community). Assisting with the operation of a stall was outside the scope of the survey.

Film production. This includes involvement in any capacity in the production or making of films or videos. Actors, producers, designers, camera operators, directors and support staff involved in the production or making of films are included in this category. Persons involved in distributing or screening films are excluded from this category and included with cinema and video. It also excludes script writers, who would be included in writing.

Furniture-making and wood crafts. This activity includes wood carving, woodwork, inlaid woodwork, and furniture-making of individually crafted, rather than factory made, products. Wood sculpture is included with sculpture.

Glass crafts. This activity includes all glass objects made by an artist or craftsperson such as lead-lighting, glass blowing and moulding.

Government arts organisations and agencies. This includes persons working for a government or public body set up for the support or administration of arts activities (e.g. the Australia Council, State Arts departments, Government regulatory authorities, arts centres and trusts). It includes those persons working as support staff.

Heritage organisations. This includes involvement in the recording, preservation, management or operation of Indigenous and/or historic environments (e.g. historic sites, monuments), or in a heritage organisation or association in any capacity. It includes those persons working as support staff. Members of National Trusts were included if they had undertaken any heritage activity apart from membership. Persons being paid to renovate heritage buildings (e.g. carpenters, tilers) were excluded, although voluntary renovation of a heritage building or site was included.

Interactive content creation. This activity includes designing websites and creating programs which contain film, sound and animated components for use on computers, electronic games and touch screens.

Jewellery. This activity includes all jewellery made by an artist or craftsperson from any material.

Libraries and archives. This includes any operation or administration of a library (including school libraries) or archive. It includes those persons working as support staff.

Museums. This includes any involvement in the operation or administration of a commercial or non-commercial museum including science, maritime and natural history museums and historical theme parks. It includes tour guides, curators and conservators, as well as support staff.

Music. This comprises involvement in any music capacity including playing, singing, music arranging, composing, song writing, sound engineering, recording or publishing music and in support roles for musicians or ensembles. Performing on stage in music theatre was excluded from this category, and included as performing arts performances. Booking agency operation was also excluded. Music as a live performer includes playing musical instruments, conducting or singing in front of an audience.

National parks and reserves. This includes involvement in fauna and flora reserves, national parks and reserves, tourist caves and wildlife sanctuaries. It includes those persons working as support staff.

Other art activities. This comprises those art activities that do not fit into any of the listed art categories. It includes activities such as performance art, leather art, photocopy art and paper art.

Other craft activities. This comprises those craft activities that do not fit into any of the listed craft categories. It includes activities such as metal craft and decoupage.

Painting. This activity includes painting on any material. It includes murals, frescoes, graffiti art and china painting.

Performing arts. This comprises any type of involvement in theatre, dance, opera and music theatre, and other performing arts other than performances of music. It includes acting and performing, directing, producing, and choreographing performances. It also includes backstage work on activities such as applying make-up, costume making and set constructing, as well as involvement as stage hands, sound and lighting technicians, front of house personnel and other support staff. Involvement in school plays and other school-related performances such as rock eisteddfods has been excluded. Performing arts performances include any involvement in performing arts as an actor or performer in front of an audience regardless of whether there was involvement also in performing arts in another capacity (e.g. backstage, directing).

Photography. This activity includes commercial, industrial, advertising, fashion, portrait and wedding photography. It excludes photographic modelling, processing or developing of film, retailing photographic equipment and supplies, and aerial photography.

Pottery and ceramics. This activity includes the production of individually created clay works made by or under the control of an artist or craftsperson.

Print-making. This activity includes all types of print-making such as silk-screen lithography, wood-cut, etc. Fabric printing is included with textiles.

Publishing. This activity includes persons involved in publishing written material, both works of fiction and non-fiction, that is, the publishing of creative writing and non-fiction articles or books are both included. It includes support staff working for publishers. It excludes printing of written material, design activities and music publishing.

Radio. This includes involvement in any capacity (e.g. producers, announcers, radio journalists, sound technicians, administrative and support staff of radio stations) in the production, programming and operation of radio broadcasting services. Persons involved in script writing or making recordings to play on radio who are not employed by or working voluntarily for a radio station are included under writing.

Sculpture. This activity includes the formation of figures or designs by cutting marble, wood, granite, etc., or by fashioning plastic material, making moulds, etc.

Teaching. This activity includes involvement in the teaching of any aspects of radio, television, film, video, music, performing arts, visual arts, crafts, writing, publishing and design. It includes dance and drama instruction, music teaching, lecturing, work shop leading and hobby class teaching. Any involvement as a primary or secondary school teacher was outside of the scope of the survey.

Television. This includes involvement in any capacity in the production, programming and operation of television broadcasting services and includes support staff. Participation in making in-house television programs in any capacity (e.g. announcers, producers, props, camera operation or directing, and support staff) are included in this category. Persons making films or videos that will be played on television (including commercials) who are not employed by or working voluntarily for a television station have been excluded from this category but are included in the film production category.

Textiles. This activity includes weaving, knitting, embroidery, sewing, patchwork, macramé, quilting, spinning, lace making and fabric painting. It excludes factory made products, and those that were only undertaken for the respondent’s own or family use.

Writing. This covers the writing of works of fiction and non-fiction and includes: writing novels, textbooks, short stories, poetry, plays, scripts, lyrics, screenplays, biographies and newsletters; copy writing, journalism and editing of written material; and writing articles for journals, magazines, technical writing, etc. Persons whose only writing involvement is letter writing (e.g. letters to the editor) are excluded from this category. Writing for own use or that of their family was classed as a hobby.

Zoos and aquaria. This includes the operation or administration of an animal or marine park, such as zoos, reptile parks and wildlife sanctuaries. It includes persons working as support staff.

Annual income from activity

This is the gross income (i.e. income before tax and expenses are deducted) received or expected to be received from the person's involvement in the activity during the 12 months prior to interview.

Capital cities

The areas determining the six state capital cities are the Statistical Divisions for those capital cities as defined in Australian Standard Geographical Classification (ASGC) (cat. no. 1216.0).

Country of birth

Birthplace is classified according to the Standard Australian Classification of Countries (SACC) (cat. no. 1269.0).

Employed

Employed persons are those aged 15 years and over who, during the week prior to interview:

• worked for one hour or more for pay, profit, commission or payment in-kind in a job or business, or on a farm (comprising employees, employers and own account workers)
• worked for one hour or more without pay in a family business or on a farm (i.e. contributing family workers)
• were employees who had a job but were not at work and were away from work for less than four weeks up to the end of the week prior to interview; away from work for more than four weeks up to the end of the week prior to interview and received pay for some or all of the four week period prior to interview; away from work as a standard work or shift arrangement; on strike or locked out; on workers' compensation and expected to return to their job
• were employers or own account workers who had a job, business or farm, but were not at work.

Hobby activities are those where all participation in art or craft, writing or music was either for the person’s own use or for the benefit of their family.

Involvement

A person is classified as having involvement in a culture and leisure activity if they had any participation, paid or unpaid, in any one of the activities in the survey and some, or all, of that participation was not for the person’s own use or for the benefit of their family (i.e. was not a hobby activity). Refer also to Work in culture and leisure activities and Hobby.

Labour force status

This is a classification of the civilian population aged 15 years and over into employed, unemployed or not in the labour force.

Main English speaking countries

The list of main English speaking countries provided here is not an attempt to classify countries on the basis of whether or not English is the predominant or official language of each country. It is a list of the main countries from which Australia receives, or has received, significant numbers of overseas migrants who are likely to speak English. The list therefore includes South Africa. Although large numbers of South Africans do not speak English as their first language, those who migrate to Australia are likely to speak English. The list does not include country units which are statistically insignificant in the Australian context, although they are English speaking countries.

The set of Main English Speaking Countries used in this publication consists of:

Australia
Canada
Ireland, Republic of
New Zealand
South Africa
United Kingdom (consisting of England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland)
United States of America

Where a person has more than one job, the main job was defined as that in which the person worked the most hours. It does not apply to persons who were unemployed or not in the labour force.

Not in the labour force

Persons who were not in the categories employed or unemployed as defined.

Number of weeks of involvement

This refers to the weeks in which the person was involved in the 12 months prior to interview, whether it was for one hour during the week or full time.

Paid involvement

This includes a person's involvement for which payment had already been received, as well as a person's involvement where payment had not yet been received for the finished product but was expected. This can include involvement where creators have been guaranteed payment on completion of their work, exhibits or artworks that may or may not be sold and writing that has not yet been accepted for publication. Payment also includes payment in-kind, such as the provision of goods and services and discounts on purchases.

Participation rate

For any group, this is the number of persons involved in the selected culture or leisure activities, expressed as a percentage of the civilian population in the same group.

Payment in-kind

This comprises any non-monetary payment received for the person's involvement. It includes the provision of goods and services; discounts on purchases; and reductions in, or waiving of, subscriptions or membership fees.

Some paid involvement

This category includes all persons who received financial or in-kind payment for their involvement, regardless of whether or not they had some unpaid involvement.

Support staff

Support staff comprise those persons performing tasks such as administration, sales and maintenance. It includes occupations such as receptionists, clerks, salespersons, ticket sellers, ushers, cleaners, gardeners and security guards.

Training

For this survey, training was defined as a course of study in an art or culture field relevant to the activities included in the survey, regardless of the length of the course or the type of institution offering the course. However, a certificate must have been issued. The study could include attendance at workshops, training seminars, in-house training provided by employers, etc.

Unemployed

Unemployed persons are those aged 15 years and over who were not employed during the week prior to interview and:

• had actively looked for full-time or part-time work at any time in the four weeks up to the end of the week prior to interview
• were available for work in the week prior to interview or were waiting to start a new job within four weeks from the end of the week prior to interview and could have started in the week prior to interview if the job had been available then.

This includes any unpaid work involvement in the selected culture and leisure activities. It also includes working unpaid overtime or working beyond a person’s paid position on the selected culture activities.

Work in selected culture and leisure activities

This consists of any participation, paid or unpaid, in any of the selected culture and leisure activities included in the survey, excluding involvement only as a hobby. Refer also to Involvement and Hobby.