WHITEGOODS

In October 2009, almost all of the 1,654,000 households in Queensland had a refrigerator (99.6% or 1,647,600 households) and a washing machine (98.5% or 1,629,600). Half (50%) of all Queensland households (821,200) had a dishwasher and 58% (957,800) had a clothes dryer. There were 41% (672,700) of Queensland households that had a separate freezer (table 3.1).

Selected whitegoods by household characteristics

Tenure type

In Queensland in October 2009 there were 586,500 households in owner occupied dwellings which were being paid off. Of these, 69% (402,400) had a clothes dryer, 65% (380,900) had a dishwasher and 46% (269,900) had a separate freezer. Of the 550,300 households which owned the dwelling outright, 58% (318,400) had a clothes dryer, 48% (264,700) had a dishwasher and 46% (255,300) had a separate freezer. There were 486,200 households in dwellings being rented in Queensland in October 2009 with 45% (220,000) having a clothes dryer, 34% (165,600) having a dishwasher and 28% (135,000) having a separate freezer (table 3.1).

Annual household income

In October 2009, Queensland households with an annual income of $110,000 or more per year, were more likely to have a clothes dryer and/or a dishwasher than households with an annual income of less than $25,000 per year.

Only 39% (128,700) of Queensland households that reported an annual household income of less than $25,000 per year had a clothes dryer. In comparison, 75% (202,400) of households with the highest income level ($110,000 or more per year) had a clothes dryer.

About one quarter (24% or 77,300) of Queensland households with an annual household income of less than $25,000 per year had a dishwasher, while about three quarters (75% or 203,400) of households with the highest income level ($110,000 or more per year) had a dishwasher (table 3.2).


Selected characteristics of whitegoods

Washing machine

In October 2009, almost all households in Queensland had a washing machine (99% or 1,629,600). The majority of these households (69% or 1,122,200) averaged five or less loads of washing per week, with 31% (500,600) averaging more than five loads per week (table 3.3).

Households with children aged under 15 years were more likely to do more loads of washing than other households. Of the 468,600 households with a washing machine and at least one child aged under 15 years, 60% (282,800) averaged more than five loads of washing per week. (table 3.3).

Of the 1,629,600 households that had a washing machine, 27% (447,500) used a front loading machine and 73% (1,182,100) used a top loading machine (including twin tubs). The most common number of washing loads for both front loading and top loading machines was three to five loads per week, 44% (195,500) and 43% (510,600) respectively.

For households with a top loading washing machine, 28% (331,100) did more than five loads per week. In comparison, of the 447,500 households that used a front loading washing machine, 38% (169,400) did more than five loads per week (table 3.4).

Clothes dryer

In October 2009, 58% (957,800) of all households in Queensland had a clothes dryer. Of these, 26% (247,400) used their clothes dryer at least once a week. About half (50% or 476,900) did not have a regular frequency of use and reported the use of their clothes dryer depended on the weather or season. Of all households that had a clothes dryer, about one in ten (10% or 93,000) never used it.

Households without children aged under 15 years were more likely to never use their clothes dryer (12% or 75,700) than households that had children aged under 15 years (5% or 17,300) (table 3.5).

Dishwasher

There were 821,200 Queensland households that had a dishwasher in October 2009, which represented 50% of total households. Of the households with a dishwasher, 36% (292,400) used it daily and a further 28% (231,100) used it three or more times a week, but not daily. More than one in ten households with a dishwasher (13% or 106,000) reported they never used it.

Of households with a dishwasher, those with children aged under 15 years were more likely than those without children aged under 15 years to use it daily. The proportion of households with children aged under 15 years that used their dishwasher daily (58% or 162,200) was more than twice the proportion of households without children aged under 15 years that used it daily (24% or 130,200) (table 3.6).

Of households receiving less than $25,000 household income per year that had a dishwasher, 13% (10,300) used it daily, while 28% (21,300) reported they never used it. In comparison, 48% (98,500) of households receiving $110,000 or more per year that had a dishwasher reported they used it daily, while 8% (16,500) never used it (table 3.7).

Refrigerator

In October 2009, almost all households in Queensland (99.6% or 1,647,600) had at least one refrigerator (table 3.1).

There were 998,500 households (60%) that had one refrigerator only, 593,100 households (36%) which had two refrigerators and a further 56,000 households (3%) with three or more refrigerators (table 3.8).

Age of main and second refrigerator

In October 2009, there were 648,800 (39%) Queensland households that reported the age of their main, or only, refrigerator was one year to less than five years. A further 30% (494,200) reported the age of their main refrigerator was five years to less than ten years, while 21% (349,600) reported it was aged ten years or more. The remaining 8% (125,100) reported their main refrigerator to be less than one year old (table 3.9).

In comparison with the age of second refrigerators, of the 649,100 households that had two or more refrigerators, 45% (290,600) reported the age of their second refrigerator was ten years or more. There were 25% (164,700) that reported their second refrigerator was aged five years to less than ten years and a further 25% (162,200) reported it was aged one year to less than five years. The remaining 3% (19,200) reported their second refrigerator was less than one year old (table 3.10).

Separate freezer

The survey asked if the household used any separate freezers apart from the freezer compartment in a refrigerator. In October 2009, there were 599,400 households that used one separate freezer, representing 36% of all Queensland households, while only 4% (71,000) used two or more separate freezers. The remaining 60% (983,700) of households either did not use their separate freezer or did not have one.

In Brisbane, 31% (225,400) of households used one separate freezer, while 2% (12,500) used two or more. In comparison, for the balance of Queensland, 41% (374,000) used one separate freezer and 6% (58,400) used two or more (table 3.11).

3.1 HOUSEHOLDS, Type of whitegood - Tenure type: Qld - Oct. 2009
		Washing machine	Clothes dryer	Dishwasher	Refrigerator	Separate freezer	Total households (a)(b)
Number ('000)
	Being paid off	582.7	402.4	380.9	585.1	269.9	586.5
	Owned outright	547.5	318.4	264.7	548.9	255.3	550.3
	Rented(c)	469.8	220.0	165.6	483.5	135.0	486.2
	Other	29.6	17.0	10.0	30.1	12.5	31.0
	Total	1 629.6	957.8	821.2	1 647.6	672.7	1 654.0
Proportion (%)
	Being paid off	99.3	68.6	64.9	99.8	46.0	100.0
	Owned outright	99.5	57.9	48.1	99.7	46.4	100.0
	Rented(c)	96.6	45.3	34.1	99.4	27.8	100.0
	Other	95.6	54.9	32.2	97.1	40.3	100.0
	Total	98.5	57.9	49.6	99.6	40.7	100.0
(a) Includes households that had none of these whitegoods.
(b) May not add to sum of components as households may have more than one whitegood.
(c) Includes rent free

3.2 HOUSEHOLDS, Type of whitegood - Annual household income: Qld - Oct. 2009
		Washing machine	Clothes dryer	Dishwasher	Refrigerator	Separate freezer	Total households (a)(b)
Number ('000)
	Less than $25,000	314.5	128.7	77.3	324.9	119.6	327.6
	$25,000 to less than $50,000	371.1	199.0	150.9	375.0	162.7	376.3
	$50,000 to less than $70,000	255.1	157.4	140.0	257.8	100.5	258.8
	$70,000 to less than $110,000	351.5	232.9	215.0	351.1	150.7	352.0
	$110,000 or more	271.6	202.4	203.4	271.1	115.5	271.6
	Total(c)	1 629.6	957.8	821.2	1 647.6	672.7	1 654.0
Proportion (%)
	Less than $25,000	96.0	39.3	23.6	99.2	36.5	100.0
	$25,000 to less than $50,000	98.6	52.9	40.1	99.6	43.2	100.0
	$50,000 to less than $70,000	98.6	60.8	54.1	99.6	38.8	100.0
	$70,000 to less than $110,000	99.9	66.2	61.1	99.7	42.8	100.0
	$110,000 or more	100.0	74.5	74.9	99.8	42.5	100.0
	Total(c)	98.5	57.9	49.6	99.6	40.7	100.0
(a) Includes households that had none of these whitegoods.
(b) May not add to sum of components as households may have more than one whitegood.
(c) Includes households with no income, amount of regular income not known and refusals.

3.3 HOUSEHOLDS WITH WASHING MACHINE, Number of washing loads per week - Whether children aged under 15 years in the household: Qld - Oct. 2009
		Less than 3 loads per week	3 to 5 loads	6 to 10 loads	11 loads or more	Total(a)
Number ('000)
	Children(b)	21.4	163.3	214.4	68.4	468.6
	Without children(c)	394.6	542.9	191.4	26.5	1 161.0
	Total	416.1	706.2	405.8	94.9	1 629.6
Proportion (%)
	Children(b)	4.6	34.9	45.8	14.6	100.0
	Without children(c)	34.0	46.8	16.5	2.3	100.0
	Total	25.5	43.3	24.9	5.8	100.0
(a) Includes households with number of loads not known.
(b) At least one household resident aged 0-14 years, See Glossary for definition of 'Children under the age of 15 years'.
(c) No household resident aged 0-14 years See Glossary for definition of 'Children under the age of 15 years'.

3.4 HOUSEHOLDS WITH WASHING MACHINE, Number of washing loads per week - Type of washing machine: Qld - Oct. 2009
		Less than 3 loads	3 to 5 loads	6 to 10 loads	11 loads or more	Total(a)
Number ('000)
	Top loading(b)	335.9	510.6	269.5	61.6	1 182.1
	Front loading	80.1	195.5	136.2	33.2	447.5
	Total	416.1	706.2	405.8	94.9	1 629.6
Proportion (%)
	Top loading(b)	28.4	43.2	22.8	5.2	100.0
	Front loading	17.9	43.7	30.4	7.4	100.0
	Total	25.5	43.3	24.9	5.8	100.0
(a) Includes households with number of loads not known.
(b) Includes twin tub type washing machines.

3.5 HOUSEHOLDS WITH CLOTHES DRYER, Frequency of clothes dryer use - Whether children aged under 15 years in the household: Qld - Oct. 2009
		At least once a week	At least once a fortnight	At least once a month	Less than one month	Depends on the weather/season	Never	Total
Number ('000)
	Children(a)	96.1	17.2	20.7	13.6	159.5	17.3	324.4
	Without children(b)	151.2	23.1	25.4	40.5	317.4	75.7	633.3
	Total	247.4	40.3	46.1	54.2	476.9	93.0	957.8
Proportion (%)
	Children(a)	29.6	5.3	6.4	4.2	49.2	5.3	100.0
	Without children(b)	23.9	3.6	4.0	6.4	50.1	12.0	100.0
	Total	25.8	4.2	4.8	5.7	49.8	9.7	100.0
(a) At least one household resident aged 0-14 years. See Glossary for definition of 'Children under the age of 15 years'.
(b) No household resident aged 0-14 years. See Glossary for definition of 'Children under the age of 15 years'.

3.6 HOUSEHOLDS WITH DISHWASHER, Frequency of dishwasher use - Whether children aged under 15 years in the household: Qld - Oct. 2009
		Daily	Three or more times a week (but not daily)	Once or twice a week	Less often than once a week	Never	Total(a)
Number ('000)
	Children(b)	162.2	64.1	16.4	13.9	24.5	281.2
	Without children(c)	130.2	166.9	100.3	59.0	81.5	540.0
	Total	292.4	231.1	116.7	73.0	106.0	821.2
Proportion (%)
	Children(b)	57.7	22.8	5.8	5.0	8.7	100.0
	Without children(c)	24.1	30.9	18.6	10.9	15.1	100.0
	Total	35.6	28.1	14.2	8.9	12.9	100.0
(a) Includes frequency of use not known.
(b) At least one household resident aged 0-14 years. See Glossary for definition of 'Children under the age of 15 years'.
(c) No household resident aged 0-14 years. See Glossary for definition of 'Children under the age of 15 years'.

3.7 HOUSEHOLDS WITH DISHWASHER, Frequency of dishwasher use - Annual household income: Qld - Oct. 2009
		Daily	Three or more times a week (but not daily)	Once or twice a week	Less often than once a week	Never	Total(a)
Number ('000)
	Less than $25,000	10.3	16.7	16.2	12.3	21.3	77.3
	$25,000 to less than $50,000	37.4	46.2	28.7	16.2	22.4	150.9
	$50,000 to less than $70,000	42.8	42.7	20.5	13.2	20.7	140.0
	$70,000 to less than $110,000	90.1	63.3	24.9	16.3	20.3	215.0
	$110,000 or more	98.5	56.2	19.7	11.0	16.5	203.4
	Total(b)	292.4	231.0	116.7	73.0	106.0	821.2
Proportion (%)
	Less than $25,000	13.3	21.6	21.0	15.9	27.6	100.0
	$25,000 to less than $50,000	24.8	30.6	19.0	10.7	14.8	100.0
	$50,000 to less than $70,000	30.6	30.5	14.7	9.5	14.8	100.0
	$70,000 to less than $110,000	41.9	29.5	11.6	7.6	9.5	100.0
	$110,000 or more	48.4	27.6	9.7	5.4	8.1	100.0
	Total(b)	35.6	28.1	14.2	8.9	12.9	100.0
(a) Includes frequency of use not known.
(b) Includes households with no income, amount of regular income not known and refusals.

3.8 HOUSEHOLDS, Refrigerators used: Qld - Oct. 2009
	One refrigerator	Two refrigerators	Three or more refrigerators	No refrigerator	Total
Number ('000)	998.5	593.1	56.0	*6.4	1 654.0
Proportion (%)	60.4	35.9	3.4	*0.4	100.0
* estimate has a relative standard error of 25% to 50% and should be used with caution

3.9 HOUSEHOLDS WITH REFRIGERATOR, Age of main refrigerator: Qld - Oct. 2009
	Less than one year	One year to less than five years	Five years to less than ten years	Ten years or more	Total(a)
Number ('000)	125.1	648.8	494.2	349.6	1 647.6
Proportion (%)	7.6	39.4	30.0	21.2	100.0
(a) Includes age of main refrigerator not known.

3.10 HOUSEHOLDS WITH SECOND REFRIGERATOR, Age of second refrigerator: Qld - Oct. 2009
	Less than one year	One year to less than five years	Five years to less than ten years	Ten years or more	Don't know	Total
Number ('000)	19.2	162.2	164.7	290.6	12.4	649.1
Proportion (%)	3.0	25.0	25.4	44.8	1.9	100.0

3.11 HOUSEHOLDS, Separate freezers used: Brisbane(a) and Balance of Qld - Oct. 2009
		No separate freezers at all or used	One separate freezer	Two or more separate freezers	Total
Number ('000)
	Brisbane(a)	493.0	225.4	12.5	730.9
	Balance of Queensland	490.7	374.0	58.4	923.2
	Total	983.7	599.4	71.0	1 654.0
Proportion (%)
	Brisbane(a)	67.5	30.8	1.7	100.0
	Balance of Queensland	53.2	40.5	6.3	100.0
	Total	59.5	36.2	4.3	100.0
(a) Refers to the Brisbane Major Statistical Region.

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