STATISTICS NEWS NSW

Population Ageing in New South Wales, 2008
2011 Census Engagement
Free Information and Training
ABS Reconciliation Action
Population Estimate Update

POPULATION AGEING IN NEW SOUTH WALES, 2008

A snapshot of the ageing (45 years and over) and older (65 years and over) population in NSW.

Release of Population Ageing in New South Wales, 2008

Population Ageing in NSW, 2008 was released on 17th December 2008, it was produced by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) in partnership with the NSW Department of Ageing, Disability and Home Care (DADHC). Population Ageing in NSW, 2008 was guided by the previous Older People, NSW (cat. no. 4106.1) and the recent release of Towards 2030: Planning for our changing population produced by DADHC. It seeks to provide an overview of a range of information that is clear, current and useful to assist in understanding the demographic changes that are occurring and support the planning of appropriate responses to these changes.

Towards 2030 highlights the need for planning now for this demographic change, and that planning be supported by sound evidence and data. Population Ageing in NSW, 2008 provides information which reflects the priorities outlined in Toward 2030 covering areas of 1.Planning for Change; 2.Prevention and Early Intervention; 3.The Workforce; 4.Participation in Society, and 5.Support and Care.

We would like your views on the Population Ageing in NSW, 2008 publication and how we can improve it. A website questionnaire is available for comment on the ABS website, www.abs.gov.au via the Population Ageing in NSW, 2008 link.

Statistical highlights

Population: The average life expectancy of people living in NSW has increased by nearly ten years from 1974 to 2006 - 10.5 years for men, and 8.5 years for women.

Income: From 1995-96 to 2005-06, superannuation as a main source of household income for people over 65 has almost doubled from 7% to 13%, but the proportion of people on pensions has remained steady at around 70%.

Workforce: In 2007-08, persons aged 45 years and over accounted for 37% of the NSW labour force, of which 71% were employed full-time, 26% were employed part-time and nearly 3% were unemployed.

Housing: In 2006, 7 out of 10 men aged between 75 and 84 lived with a partner, where as only 4 in 10 women lived with a partner.

Community involvement: In 2006, three quarters (77%) of older people had contact with family and friends in the last week, and more than two-thirds (69%) attended culture and leisure venues.

Family and community support: In 2006, nearly half (46%) of NSW grandparents were providing child care to grandchildren.

Older carers of people with a disability: In 2003, almost one in five people aged 65 years and over (17%) were carers and provided assistance to people with a disability.

Voluntary work and unpaid assistance: In 2006, almost one-third (29%) of people aged 65 years and over in NSW participated in organised voluntary work, and a similar proportion (33%) provided informal assistance to people living outside their household.

Health risks: In 2005-05, almost two thirds (65%) of people between the ages of 55 and 64 were overweight or obese, and most people undertook little or no exercise (70%).

2011 CENSUS ENGAGEMENT

To assist informed decision making by providing the best possible Census counts, the ABS is seeking the advice and support of community and government organisations in preparing for the 2011 Census.

We are looking to work with organisations which benefit from the Census, and can advise and/or assist us with initiatives to

• increase support for the Census at community level;
• provide local intelligence; and
• assist with recruitment of Census field staff.

We are approaching local governments, federal and state agencies, and non-government organisations.

If you're interested in taking part in this program please contact Paul Roper, NSW Census Engagement Manager, on (02) 9268 4219 or nsw.statistics@abs.gov.au.



FREE INFORMATION AND TRAINING

Many policy makers, researchers and marketers are not aware of the amazing amount of data that you can get for free from the ABS 2006 Census of Population and Housing.

We are offering free online information sessions in the use of our powerful Census data and tools. Please contact us if you would like to find out more about the type of Census data available and how you can use it to increase understanding about your clients, customers, or stakeholders, including geographic areas of interest.

For more information about free 2006 Census training please contact Amanda Biltoft, National Account Manager ABS on (02) 9268 4642 or email client.services@abs.gov.au.

Conditions apply

Information sessions covering existing online data are available only in NSW for groups of 5 and over, for a minimum duration of 30 minutes and maximum of 2 hours.



ABS RECONCILIATION ACTION PLAN

On 10 November 2008, the ABS Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) was launched. The RAP seeks to improve the ABS' commitments to respect and serve Indigenous Australian communities through organisation commitment and community action. The RAP enhances the existing Indigenous Community Engagement Strategy (ICES). ICES was developed to assist in fulfilling the ABS principle of ensuring that its statistics could be easily accessed and used by all Australians, and to create equal opportunity of access for all users.

It was recognised that the ABS needed to build a stronger relationship with the Australian Indigenous community as a whole, and to return information in meaningful ways to individual Indigenous communities and organisations. The project will focus on provision of information, raising statistical awareness and technical assistance. In July 2004 Indigenous Engagement Managers (IEMs) were employed in each ABS State and Territory Regional Office (7 in total). IEMs, with the assistance of the ABS National Centre for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Statistics (NCATSIS), work together to build stronger relationships between Australia's Indigenous Communities and the ABS.

Anne Freer is the ABS Indigenous Engagement Manager for NSW and the ACT. Anne is currently out and about working on Census Engagement, aiming to build relationships with Indigenous communities to improve our collection strategies and ensure we get the best Census data we can. As Anne points out, "the Census is a large part of our work in community engagement as the Census provides the small area community data that Indigenous communities find the most useful". She is always happy to help with any queries you may have when engaging with Indigenous Communities.

Anne can be contacted by phone at (02) 9268 4028 or by email to nsw.statistics@abs.gov.au



POPULATION ESTIMATE UPDATE

The lastest demographic statistics for Australia and each State and Territory were released by the ABS in December 2008. Estimates of the resident population up to 2006 are final, based on the results of the 2006 Census of Population and Housing, while estimates from 2007 onwards are preliminary.

The preliminary estimated resident population of Australia at 30 June 2008 was 21,374,000 persons, an increase of 359,000 persons since 2007. The preliminary estimated resident population for NSW as at 30 June 2008 was 6,967,2000, an increase of nearly 80,000 since June 2007.

For more information, please see the following publications:

Population by Age and Sex, Australian States and Territories, Jun 2008 (cat. no.3201.0)

Australian Demographic Statistics, Jun 2008 (cat. no. 3101.0)