1307.8 - Australian Capital Territory in Focus, 2005  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 15/09/2005   
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MEDIA RELEASE

September 15, 2005
Embargoed 11:30am (AEST)
101/2005

Latest snapshot of the ACT released today: ABS

Canberrans were more likely than the rest of the nation to live together before marriage, attend cultural activities, have private health insurance, finish Year 12, and use a computer at home.

All this and more is revealed in the latest edition of ACT in Focus 2005 released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. This annual snapshot contains a wealth of data of life in Canberra and the surrounding region. Highlights include:

People - Over three-quarters (78%) of ACT couples lived together before marriage in 2003, compared with 75% nationally.

Culture and Leisure - Nearly one in three (29%) Canberrans participated in cultural and leisure activities in the 12 months to April 2004, higher than all other states and territories (between 17% and 20% participation) .

Health - Over half (52%) of ACT residents were covered by private health insurance at 31 December 2004, compared with 43% nationally.

Education - More ACT students (89%) continued onto Year 12 in 2004 than any other state or territory (76% nationally).

There were 4,800 overseas students enrolled in ACT higher education institutions in 2004, with the greatest proportion coming from China (21%).

Information Technology - Four in five ACT households (80% or 99,000) had access to computers at home, and 82,000 households had Internet access at home.

Weather - 2004 saw the lowest number of fogs recorded in the ACT (20 fogs), less than half the long-term average (44 fogs a year).

Population - The Gungahlin-Hall area continued to be the ACT’s main region of growth, increasing by 2,000 people (7.4%) in the year to June 2004. The ACT as a whole grew by 660 people (0.2%) over this period.

Economy - The ACT had more economic activity per person than any state or territory, with a per capita Gross State Product of $47,000 in 2003-04 (chain volume measure). This was 20% higher than the Australian figure.

Australian Capital Region (ACR) - Eurobodalla had the highest proportion of people receiving income support (36% or 12,688 people) in the ACR at June 2003.

Further information is available in ACT in Focus, 2005 (cat. no. 1307.8).