Level of education
Among Indigenous people aged 18 years or over, those with a disability or long-term health condition had completed fewer years of education, on average, than people without a disability. In non-remote areas, 52% of people with a disability or long-term health condition had only completed Year 9 or below, compared with 28% of people without a disability or long-term health condition. In remote areas the corresponding proportions were 64% and 43% (table 5.11).
Indigenous people with a profound or severe core activity limitation in remote areas were the least likely to have progressed beyond Year 9, with 70% completing school education to this level or below.
5.11 Highest year of school completed by disability status, Indigenous persons aged 18 years or over(a) - 2002 |
|  |
| | Non-remote | Remote | |
| Educational attainment | Profound or severe core activity limitation | Total with a disability or long-term health condition | No disability or long-term health condition | Total | Profound or severe core activity limitation | Total with a disability or long-term health condition | No disability or long-term health condition | Total | |
| |
| Year 12 | % | *12.1 | 11.8 | 25.6 | 20.3 | *6.2 | 8.3 | 17.0 | 13.7 | |
| Year 10 or 11 | % | 33.4 | 36.0 | 46.9 | 42.8 | *23.3 | 28.2 | 39.7 | 35.3 | |
| Year 9 or below(b) | % | 54.5 | 52.2 | 27.5 | 37.0 | 70.5 | 63.5 | 43.3 | 50.9 | |
| Total | % | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | |
| Total(a) | no. | 14 000 | 69 300 | 111 600 | 180 900 | 6 700 | 26 100 | 42 900 | 69 100 | |
| |
| * estimate has a relative standard error of 25% to 50% and should be used with caution |
| (a) Excludes persons who were still at school. |
| (b) Includes persons who never attended school. |
| ABS, 2002 NATSISS |
A greater proportion of Indigenous people aged 25-64 years with a disability or long-term health condition in non-remote areas had a non-school qualification (36%) than those in remote areas (23%). In remote areas, only 15% of people with a profound or severe core activity limitation had a non-school qualification. In non-remote areas the proportion of people with a non-school qualification was less strongly associated with disability status (ABS, 2002 NATSISS).
Employment
Disability status was strongly associated with employment status for Indigenous people aged 18-64 years (table 5.12). People with a disability or long-term health condition were much less likely to be employed, especially full-time, and less likely to be in the labour force, than people without a disability or long-term health condition. This was true for both males and females.
People with a profound or severe core activity limitation were the least likely to be employed, with only 30% of males and 23% of females being employed either full-time or part-time, compared with 70% of males and 49% of females with no disability or long-term health condition. Most people with a profound or severe core activity limitation were not in the labour force: 56% of males and 72% of females.
5.12 Labour force status by disability status, Indigenous persons aged 18-64 years - 2002 |
| |
| | Males | Females | |
| | Profound or severe core activity limitation | Total with a disability or long-term health condition | No disability or long-term health condition | Total | Profound or severe core activity limitation | Total with a disability or long-term health condition | No disability or long-term health condition | Total | |
| |
| Employed full-time | % | *10.8 | 25.0 | 45.9 | 38.2 | *4.2 | 12.6 | 21.9 | 18.5 | |
| Employed part-time | % | *19.0 | 19.3 | 23.8 | 22.2 | 18.2 | 18.8 | 27.5 | 24.4 | |
| Total employed | % | 29.8 | 44.4 | 69.8 | 60.5 | 22.5 | 31.5 | 49.4 | 43.0 | |
| Total unemployed | % | *14.3 | 15.5 | 16.3 | 16.0 | *5.5 | 10.2 | 10.4 | 10.3 | |
| Not in the labour force | % | 56.0 | 40.1 | 13.9 | 23.5 | 72.0 | 58.3 | 40.2 | 46.7 | |
| Total | % | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | |
| Total | no. | 7 700 | 41 600 | 71 700 | 113 400 | 9 800 | 44 900 | 80 300 | 125 200 | |
| |
| * estimate has a relative standard error of 25% to 50% and should be used with caution |
| ABS, 2002 NATSISS |
Income and financial stress
Disability status for Indigenous people has a strong association with their principal source of income, amount of household income and indicators of financial stress.
Overall, about 65% of Indigenous people with a disability or long-term health condition, including three-quarters (76%) of Indigenous people with a profound or severe core activity limitation, were receiving a government pension or allowance as their principal source of income, compared with 42% of people without a disability or long-term health condition (table 5.13). Indigenous people without a disability or long-term health condition were correspondingly more likely to have ‘other wages and salary’, or to a lesser extent, Community Development Employment Projects scheme (CDEP) payments as their principal source of income.
5.13 Principal source of personal income, Indigenous persons aged 15 years or over - 2002 |
| |
| | | Profound or severe core activity limitation | Total with a disability or long-term health condition | No disability or long-term health condition | Total | |
| |
| Received personal income | | | | | | |
| CDEP | % | 4.8 | 8.3 | 11.5 | 10.3 | |
| Other wages or salary | % | 10.4 | 18.1 | 35.3 | 29.0 | |
| Government cash pensions and allowances | % | 76.4 | 64.6 | 42.0 | 50.2 | |
| Other sources of income | % | *3.6 | 3.4 | 2.9 | 3.1 | |
| Total who received income | % | 95.6 | 95.2 | 92.3 | 93.3 | |
| Did not receive personal income | % | *4.4 | 4.8 | 7.7 | 6.7 | |
| Total | % | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | |
| Total | no. | 21 800 | 102 900 | 179 300 | 282 200 | |
| |
| * estimate has a relative standard error of 25% to 50% and should be used with caution |
| ABS, 2002 NATSISS |
Indigenous people with a disability or long-term health condition had household incomes lower than those without a disability or long-term health condition (graph 5.14).
5.14 Household income quintile by disability status, Indigenous persons aged 15 years or over - 2002
Indigenous people with a disability or long-term health condition were more likely to experience financial stress than Indigenous people without a disability (table 5.15).
Indigenous people with a disability or long-term health condition were more likely than those without a disability to be living in a household that: was unable to raise $2,000 within a week for something important; had experienced days without money in the last 12 months; or had days without money in the last two weeks.
5.15 Indicators of financial stress(a), Indigenous persons aged 15 years or over - 2002 |
| |
| | Non-remote | Remote | |
| | Profound or severe core activity limitation | Total with a disability or long-term health condition | No disability or long-term health condition | Profound or severe core activity limitation | Total with a disability or long-term health condition | No disability or long-term health condition | |
| |
| Unable to raise $2,000 within a week for something important | % | 58.7 | 57.0 | 41.7 | 81.3 | 77.2 | 70.7 | |
| Had days without money in last 12 months | % | 60.6 | 52.2 | 40.1 | 49.5 | 49.3 | 37.2 | |
| Had days without money in last 2 weeks | % | 47.7 | 38.7 | 27.3 | 41.2 | 39.8 | 28.7 | |
| Total | no. | 14 900 | 75 600 | 129 500 | 6 900 | 27 300 | 49 800 | |
| |
| (a) Information provided by a household spokesperson on behalf of all household members. |
| ABS, 2002 NATSISS |
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