1380.0.55.005 - Perspectives on Regional Australia: Population Turnover, 2006  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 30/09/2008  First Issue
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SOUTH AUSTRALIA


AN ANALYSIS OF SELECTED CHARACTERISTICS OF ROXBY DOWNS (M) - A HIGH POPULATION TURNOVER STATISTICAL LOCAL AREA

On this page:

Introduction

Roxby Downs (M): Characteristics of the area and usual residents

People who arrived in, departed or did not move from Roxby Downs (M)


Introduction

In South Australia (SA) the five Statistical Local Areas (SLAs) with the greatest population turnover were either within the capital city area of Adelaide or were mining regions. This chapter presents some data for these five SLAs (see Table 5.1), then discusses the characteristics of one SLA as an example. In SA, Roxby Downs (M) was chosen as an example of a mining region.

To view an image of this SLA via Google Maps Australia please click on the following link: Roxby Downs (M).

TABLE 5.1. HIGH POPULATION TURNOVER SLAs - South Australia

2001 Census count(a)
2006 Census count
Census count change
Arrivals(b)
Departures(c)
Net migration(c)
Population flow(c)
Population turnover(c)
SLA(d)
psns
psns
psns
psns
psns
psns
psns
%

Roxby Downs (M)
3 488
4 056
568
1 754
1 801
-47
3 555
107.1
Adelaide (C)
12 902
16 658
3 756
8 588
4 597
3 991
13 185
96.8
Salisbury (C) Bal
5 500
10 617
5 117
5 380
1 805
3 575
7 185
80.3
Norw. P'ham St Ptrs (C) - West
17 052
17 737
685
6 987
5 578
1 409
12 565
79.7
Coober Pedy (DC)
2 296
1 911
-385
349
698
-349
1 047
71.5

(a) Based on 2006 Census boundaries
(b) Excludes people aged 0-4 years and those who did not state where they lived 5 years ago
(c) Excludes people aged 0-4 years, those who did not state where they lived 5 years ago, and overseas departures, meaning these data are estimated on a different basis than the 2006 Census count (for further information about how Population turnover is calculated, refer to Explanatory Note 14)
(d) Excludes unincorporated areas and SLAs with a population of less than 500 people
Source: Census of Population and Housing, 2006 and Census of Population and Housing, 2001
Note: This table is based on place of usual residence. Cells in this table have been randomly adjusted to avoid the release of confidential data.



Roxby Downs (M): Characteristics of the area and usual residents

Roxby Downs (M) had the largest population turnover (107.1%) of all SLAs in South Australia and is a uranium, gold and silver mining town, located 571 kilometres north of the capital city of Adelaide. Education facilities in the region include primary and area high schools and a TAFE for tertiary education.

Employment

At the 2006 Census the industry division (using the Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC), 2006) that recorded the highest proportion of employed residents in this town was Mining, 49.7% of employed residents.

The remaining employed residents worked in a variety of industries. The top industries following Mining were Construction (8.3%), Administrative and support services (6.4%) and Accommodation and food services (5.4%).

Just over 25% of employed residents worked as Technicians or trades workers and 20.9% were Machinery operators or drivers. Comparable proportions for Australia were 14.6% and 6.8% respectively.

Income

People in Roxby Downs (M) generally had higher incomes than people in the remainder of Australia. More than 55% of Roxby Downs (M) residents earned $1,000 or more per week, compared with 19.7% of the residents of Australia.

Other characteristics of the area and its residents included:
  • A young population with the median age of residents being 29 years, which is 8 years younger than the median age of all Australians and 10 years younger than the median age of South Australians.
  • A high proportion of rented dwellings (62.6% of occupied private dwellings) which reflects a mobile population.


People who arrived in, departed or did not move from Roxby Downs (M)

Following is a discussion of the characteristics of three populations relating to Roxby Downs (M): arrivals to the SLA within the five years to the 2006 Census; departures from the SLA within the same time period; and those who did not move SLA.

At the 2006 Census, 52.8% of the usual residents in Roxby Downs (excluding people aged 0-4 years and those who did not state where they lived five years ago) had arrived in the SLA within the last five years. Most (56.5%) of these arrivals were from within South Australia, 34.2% were from interstate and 9.3% were from overseas.

Age

Slightly more than one in three arrivals (646 or 36.9%) were aged 30-44 years, followed by those aged 15-29 years (565 or 32.3% of arrivals) (see Graph 5.1). The highest proportion of departures was also in the 30-44 year age group, making up 35.3% or 637 departures (see Graph 5.2).

A high proportion of departures were aged 5-14 years (440 or 24.4%) which differed from the lower proportion for arrivals (294 or 16.8%). Generally children in this age group move with their parents or guardian, who are likely to be in the 30-44 year age group.

GRAPH 5.1. ARRIVALS (a), By age group - Roxby Downs (M)
Graph 5.1. Arrivals, By age group, Roxby Downs (M)


GRAPH 5.2. DEPARTURES (a), By age group - Roxby Downs (M)
Graph 5.2. Departures, By age group, Roxby Downs (M)


Employment

The industry division (using the Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC), 2006) that recorded the highest proportion of employed arrivals, departures, and people who had not moved SLA, was Mining. More than 47% of employed arrivals and 53.5% of employed people who had not moved SLA worked in this industry. While Mining was recorded as the top industry of employment for departures, the proportion was lower (24.7%).

Arrivals from interstate and overseas had the highest proportions of people employed in the Mining industry (60.5% and 59.6% respectively).

The Technicians and trades workers major group occupation category (using the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO), 2006) recorded around one in four employed residents in Roxby Downs. This occupation was the most common occupation for all three population groups of arrivals, departures and people who had not moved SLA (24.4%, 21.0% and 26.6% respectively).

Slightly more than 20% of employed arrivals were Professionals. Professional arrivals were mostly from interstate and overseas (158 or 62.9% of all Professional arrivals). Given that only 41.2% of all employed arrivals were from interstate and overseas, arrivals from interstate and overseas were over-represented in the Professional occupation.

Education

Overseas and interstate arrivals who were aged 15 years and over also had a high proportion of people with a Bachelor degree or higher (43.5% and 33.0% respectively), when compared with the following groups also aged 15 years and over: arrivals from elsewhere in SA (12.5%); departures (13.9%); and people who had not moved SLA (8.0%).

Income

The proportion of arrivals and employed departures working in Mining and earning $1,000 or more per week was similar (87.0% and 89.8% respectively). Within the arrivals group, the proportion varied depending on the location from which arrivals originated. The proportion of arrivals moving from within South Australia, working in Mining and earning $1,000 or more per week was 85.2% while for those arrivals from overseas, this proportion was 92.7%.

Arrivals working in industries other than Mining tended to earn more than departures working in industries other than Mining. More than 45% of arrivals aged 15 years and over in other industries earned $1,000 or more per week, compared with 36.2% of departures aged 15 years and over in other industries. The high level of income received by other industries may attract some arrivals to the area. In contrast, less than 20% of residents of Australia aged 15 years and over in all industries earned $1,000 or more per week.

Please note: All data presented in this publication relate to person or dwelling characteristics at the time of the 2006 Census. As arrivals and departures may have moved at any time in the five years to the 2006 Census their characteristics could have been different at the time of their migration. The data presented also only captures a person's place of usual residence at the 2006 Census and five years prior to the Census (where they have answered that question). People could have moved residence numerous times between these time periods. Arrivals estimates exclude people who did not state where they lived five years ago, and those who were under the age of 5 at the time of the 2006 Census. In addition to those exclusions, estimates of departures also exclude overseas departures (as these people were not enumerated in the Census). To be consistent with the conceptual basis of the arrivals and departures estimates, the adjusted Census count used in calculating population turnover also excludes 0-4 year olds and people who did not state where they lived five years ago.