2901.0 - Census Dictionary, 2001  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 24/04/2001   
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Contents

Occupation
Occupied private dwelling
Off-Shore Collection District
Offspring
One parent family
Optional questions
Origin
Origin zone
Other
Other family
Other related individual
Other Territories
Other urban
Overseas born
Overseas visitor
Own account worker

Occupation (OCCP)

Occupation is collected in the Census for all employed people aged 15 years and over. Two questions are used in the Census. The first of these asks for occupation title (in main job held in the week prior to Census Night). The second asks for the main tasks usually performed by the person in their occupation. Collecting both occupation title and task information ensures more accurate coding of occupations.

Since the 1996 Census occupation data have been classified in accordance with the Second Edition (1996) of the Australian Standard Classification of Occupations (ASCO), and are coded to the occupation level. In ASCO, a job is defined as a set of tasks performed by one individual, and an occupation is defined as a set of jobs sufficiently similar in their main tasks to be grouped together.

Occupation data are essential for labour market analysis and policy formation. Changes in the occupational composition of the labour force are important for planning at the industry and geographic area levels. The data are used in analyses of education and training needs, and as indicators for industry assistance programs. Small area data on occupation are important in regional planning; in examining the occupational mobility of ethnic and other minority groups; and in measuring socioeconomic status variability between regions.

See also Australian Standard Classification of Occupations (ASCO), Labour force.

Occupied private dwelling

See Dwelling.

Off-Shore Collection District

See Migratory Collection District, Dwelling Type (DWTD).

Offspring

See Child.

One parent family

A one parent family consists of a lone parent with at least one child (regardless of age) who is also usually resident in the family household. The family may also include any number of other related individuals.

Examples of one parent families include: a 25-year-old parent with dependent children; and an 80-year-old living with a 50-year-old child.

Information on people who are temporarily absent is used in family coding to differentiate between lone person households and one parent families (if child was temporarily absent) or between one parent and couple families (if a spouse was temporarily absent).

Information on people who are temporarily absent is used in family coding to differentiate between:

  • lone person households and one parent families. That is a child who is temporarily absent is included when coding Family Type (FMTF); or
  • between one parent and couple families (if a spouse was temporarily absent).

See also Child, Family, Relationship in Household (RLHP).

Optional questions

There are two optional questions on the 2001 Census form. They are:

  • 'What is the person's religion?'. Answering the question on religion has been optional in all Australian censuses.
  • 'Does each person in this household agree to his/her name and address and other information on this form being kept by the National Archives of Australia and then made publicly available after 99 years?'. The 2001 Census is the first to give respondents the opportunity to agree to having their name identified information retained.

See also Confidentiality.

Origin

See Ancestry (ANCP), Indigenous Status (INGP), Ethnicity.

Origin zone

See Journey to Work (JTW).

Other

See Residual categories and supplementary codes.

Other family

Other Family is defined as a family of other related individuals residing in the same household. These individuals do not form a couple or parent-child relationship with any other person in the household and are not attached to a couple or one parent family in the household.

If two brothers, for example, are living together and neither is a spouse/partner, a lone parent or a child, then they are classified as an Other Family. However, if the two brothers share the household with the daughter of one of the brothers and her husband, then both brothers are classified as other related individuals and are attached to the couple family.

See also Couple family, Family Type (FMTF), Other related individual.

Other related individual

An individual who is related to members of the household, but who does not form a couple relationship or parent-child relationship according to the priority rules of family coding. He/she can be related through blood, step or in-law relationship and include any direct ancestor or descendant. Relatives beyond first cousin are excluded.

Other related individuals can form their own family type or can be attached to an already existing family. Those related individuals who reside in the same household and who do not form a couple or parent-child relationship with any other person in the household are classified as an other family.

In cases where a couple family or one parent family has been formed, any persons who are related to members of these families and are usual residents of the household are other related individuals. In these circumstances they can be identified at the detailed level of the Family Type (FMTF) classification.

Related adults, such as individual brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, may be present in the household. If a household comprises only two or more related individuals, then they are classified as a family (for example, two brothers, or a female living with her grandchild).

Individuals who are related to a family are classified as related family members and associated with the primary family. Other variables which identify related individuals and adults are:

  • Family Type (FMTF); and
  • Relationship in Household (RLHP).

The following is a list of relationships which define a related individual:

self, husband, wife, de facto marriage partner, mother, step-mother, mother in-law, father, step-father, father in-law, son, step-son, son in-law, daughter, step-daughter, daughter in-law, grandmother, step-grandmother, grandmother in-law, grandfather, step-grandfather, grandfather in-law, granddaughter, step-granddaughter, granddaughter in-law, grandson, step-grandson, grandson in-law, sister, step-sister, half-sister, sister in-law, brother, step-brother, half brother, brother in-law, aunt, step-aunt, aunt in-law, uncle, step-uncle, uncle in-law, nephew, step-nephew, nephew in-law, niece, step-niece, niece in-law, cousin, step-cousin, cousin in-law.

See also Family, Other Family, Relationship in Household (RLHP).

Other Territories

Prior to the 1996 Census no external territories were included in geographical Australia, although census data were collected for Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands. Following amendments to the Acts Interpretation Act 1901–1973 effective from July 1992, the two external territories of Christmas Island and Cocos (Keeling) Islands became part of geographical Australia. The other Australian external territories (Norfolk Island, and minor islands such as Heard Island and McDonald Island), remain outside the scope of the Census.

Since the 1996 Census, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, and the Jervis Bay Territory (previously linked to the Australian Capital Territory for statistical purposes) comprise a pseudo 'ninth State/Territory' of Australia. They are included in State nine 'Other Territories', with each of the three areas having a unique SLA code.

Prior to the 1986 Census, separate censuses of the islands were conducted by the Department of Home Affairs, or its equivalent.

For the 1986 and 1991 Censuses, Cocos (Keeling) Islands and Christmas Island were included as part of the Australian Census, but their data were excluded from statistical counts for Australia. Norfolk Island and the other minor external territories were out of scope for the Census.

See also Information Consultancy.

Other urban

See Section of State.

Overseas born

See Birthplace.

Overseas visitor

See Visitors to Australia.

Own account worker

An Own Account Worker is a person who operates his/her own unincorporated economic enterprise or engages independently in a profession or trade and hires no employees. This category was called 'Self-employed' in 1991. See also Labour Force Status/Status in Employment (LFSP).




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