West and North West

2016 Census Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people QuickStats
Area code 604
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people 7,835
Male 49.0%
Female 51.0%
Median age 24
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander households 3,875
Average people per household 2.9
Median weekly household income $1,078
Median monthly mortgage repayments $1,192
Median weekly rent $210

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People

demographics & education | cultural & language diversity | employment

Demographics & education

People tables are based on a person's place of usual residence on Census night

People West and North West % West and North West Tasmania % Tasmania Australia % Australia
Aboriginal 7,211 92.0 21,572 91.5 590,062 90.9
Torres Strait Islander 344 4.4 1,118 4.7 32,344 5.0
Both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander 280 3.6 890 3.8 26,767 4.1

For the 2016 Census in West and North West, there were 7,835 Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people. Of these, 49.0% were male and 51.0% were female.

View the data quality statements for: Place of Usual Residence (PURP) Indigenous status (INGP)

Age West and North West % West and North West Tasmania % Tasmania Australia % Australia
Median age 24 -- 24 -- 23 --
0-4 years 803 10.2 2,439 10.3 73,265 11.3
5-14 years 1,753 22.4 5,351 22.7 147,134 22.7
15-24 years 1,392 17.8 4,301 18.2 123,719 19.1
25-34 years 936 11.9 3,037 12.9 88,861 13.7
35-44 years 853 10.9 2,446 10.4 72,394 11.2
45-54 years 889 11.3 2,563 10.9 67,415 10.4
55-64 years 680 8.7 1,986 8.4 45,433 7.0
65 years and over 534 6.8 1,455 6.2 30,952 4.8

In West and North West, the median age of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people was 24 years. Of the Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people 32.7% were children aged 0 to 14 years and 6.8% were people aged 65 years and over.

View the data quality statement for Age (AGEP)
Registered marital status
People aged 15 years and over
West and North West % West and North West Tasmania % Tasmania Australia % Australia
Married 1,739 32.9 4,713 29.9 105,086 24.5
Separated 254 4.8 755 4.8 19,112 4.5
Divorced 519 9.8 1,490 9.4 28,796 6.7
Widowed 205 3.9 501 3.2 13,794 3.2
Never married 2,562 48.5 8,324 52.7 261,980 61.1

In West and North West, 32.9% of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people were married and 14.6% were either divorced or separated.

View the data quality statement for Registered marital status (MSTP)
Social marital status
People aged 15 years and over
West and North West % West and North West Tasmania % Tasmania Australia % Australia
Registered marriage 1,610 33.0 4,346 30.0 86,716 23.1
De facto marriage 755 15.5 2,275 15.7 60,051 16.0
Not married 2,516 51.5 7,884 54.4 228,281 60.9

In West and North West, 33.0% of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people were in a registered marriage and 15.5% were in a de facto marriage.

View the data quality statement for Social marital status (MDCP)
Education attendance West and North West % West and North West Tasmania % Tasmania Australia % Australia
Pre-school 88 3.0 286 3.2 16,698 6.4
Primary 1,322 45.5 3,927 43.9 97,859 37.5
Secondary 761 26.2 2,259 25.3 65,208 25.0
Technical or further education institution 252 8.7 685 7.7 14,227 5.5
University or tertiary institution 120 4.1 525 5.9 15,489 5.9
Other 60 2.1 186 2.1 5,047 1.9
Not stated 301 10.4 1,078 12.1 46,428 17.8

Of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in West and North West, 37.1% were attending an educational institution. Of these, 45.5% were attending a primary school, 26.2% were attending a secondary school and 12.8% were attending a tertiary or technical institution.

View the data quality statement for Educational Institution Attendee Status (TYSTAP)
Level of highest educational attainment
People aged 15 years and over
West and North West % West and North West Tasmania % Tasmania Australia % Australia
Bachelor Degree level and above 240 4.5 872 5.5 24,911 5.8
Advanced Diploma and Diploma level 294 5.6 816 5.2 23,795 5.5
Certificate level IV 181 3.4 535 3.4 14,308 3.3
Certificate level III 971 18.4 2,641 16.7 56,625 13.2
Year 12 538 10.2 1,954 12.4 59,949 14.0
Year 11 394 7.5 1,149 7.3 34,674 8.1
Year 10 1,283 24.3 3,676 23.3 77,265 18.0
Certificate level II 15 0.3 35 0.2 1,215 0.3
Certificate level I 0 0.0 0 0.0 241 0.1
Year 9 or below 806 15.3 2,267 14.3 64,604 15.1
No educational attainment 11 0.2 57 0.4 4,256 1.0
Not stated 413 7.8 1,347 8.5 56,698 13.2

Of people aged 15 and over in West and North West, 10.2% reported having completed Year 12 as their highest level of educational attainment, 21.7% had completed a Certificate III or IV and 5.6% had completed an Advanced Diploma or Diploma.

View the data quality statement for Level of highest educational attainment (HEAP)

Cultural & language diversity

Australian Indigenous language, top responses West and North West % West and North West Tasmania % Tasmania Australia % Australia
English only spoken at home 7,658 97.7 22,871 97.0 544,491 83.9

English was the only language spoken at home by 97.7% of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in West and North West. There were no other responses for language spoken at home.

View the data quality statement for Language spoken at home (LANP)
Ancestry, top responses West and North West % West and North West Tasmania % Tasmania Australia % Australia
Australian 5,673 52.7 16,536 50.8 399,843 45.0
English 2,861 26.6 8,625 26.5 152,758 17.2
Irish 690 6.4 2,196 6.8 45,887 5.2
Scottish 478 4.4 1,310 4.0 30,843 3.5
Australian Aboriginal 396 3.7 1,579 4.9 140,480 15.8

Respondents had the option of reporting up to two ancestries on their Census form, and this is captured by the Ancestry Multi Response (ANCP) variable used in this table. Therefore, the total responses count will not equal the persons count for this area. Calculated percentages represent a proportion of all responses from people in West and North West (including those who did not state an ancestry).

For Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in West and North West, the most common ancestries were Australian 52.7%, English 26.6%, Irish 6.4%, Scottish 4.4% and Australian Aboriginal 3.7%.

View the data quality statement for Ancestry (ANCP)

Employment

Employment
People who reported being in the labour force, aged 15 years and over
West and North West % West and North West Tasmania % Tasmania Australia % Australia
Worked full-time 1,418 46.1 4,126 46.2 106,960 48.0
Worked part-time 1,058 34.4 3,111 34.8 61,049 27.4
Away from work 216 7.0 549 6.1 14,143 6.4
Unemployed 387 12.6 1,152 12.9 40,486 18.2
Not in the labour force 2,118 40.2 6,547 41.5 190,132 44.3

There were 3,079 people who reported being in the labour force in the week before Census night in West and North West. Of these 46.1% were employed full time, 34.4% were employed part-time and 12.6% were unemployed.

The ABS Labour Force Survey provides the official estimates of Australia's unemployment rate. More information about Census and labour force status is provided in Understanding the Census and Census Data.

For information on the Community Development Programme (CDP) please refer to the Census Data Dictionary. CDP data is available in TableBuilder.

View the data quality statement for Labour force status (LFSP)
Occupation, top responses
Employed people aged 15 years and over
West and North West % West and North West Tasmania % Tasmania Australia % Australia
Labourers 534 19.8 1,435 18.4 27,814 15.3
Technicians and Trades Workers 416 15.5 1,160 14.9 24,399 13.4
Community and Personal Service Workers 391 14.5 1,209 15.5 30,991 17.0
Sales Workers 304 11.3 878 11.3 15,791 8.7
Clerical and Administrative Workers 278 10.3 881 11.3 23,174 12.7
Machinery Operators and Drivers 258 9.6 662 8.5 16,774 9.2
Managers 231 8.6 638 8.2 12,844 7.1
Professionals 213 7.9 730 9.4 24,339 13.4

For Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in West and North West, the most common occupations were Labourers 19.8%, Technicians and Trades Workers 15.5%, Community and Personal Service Workers 14.5%, Sales Workers 11.3%, Clerical and Administrative Workers 10.3%, Machinery Operators and Drivers 9.6%, Managers 8.6% and Professionals 7.9%.

View the data quality statement for Occupation (OCCP)
Industry of employment, top responses
Employed people aged 15 years and over
West and North West % West and North West Tasmania % Tasmania Australia % Australia
Supermarket and Grocery Stores 115 4.4 320 4.2 5,555 3.1
Aged Care Residential Services 90 3.4 270 3.5 3,760 2.1
Takeaway Food Services 79 3.0 209 2.7 4,469 2.5
Dairy Cattle Farming 74 2.8 105 1.4 297 0.2
Other Social Assistance Services 62 2.4 200 2.6 5,302 2.9

For Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in West and North West, the most common industries of employment were Supermarket and Grocery Stores 4.4%, Aged Care Residential Services 3.4%, Takeaway Food Services 3.0%, Dairy Cattle Farming 2.8% and Other Social Assistance Services 2.4%.

View the data quality statement for Industry of employment (INDP)
Median weekly incomes
People aged 15 years and over
West and North West % West and North West Tasmania % Tasmania Australia % Australia
Personal 474 -- 472 -- 441 --
Household 1,078 -- 1,079 -- 1,203 --

The median weekly personal income for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in West and North West was $474 and the median weekly household income was $1,078.

View the data quality statements for: Total personal income (INCP) Total household income (HIND)

Unpaid work
People aged 15 years and over
West and North West % West and North West Tasmania % Tasmania Australia % Australia
Did unpaid domestic work (last week) 3,662 69.4 10,615 67.2 263,334 61.4
Cared for child/children (last two weeks) 1,790 33.9 5,213 33.0 136,079 31.7
Provided unpaid assistance to a person with a disability (last two weeks) 793 15.0 2,279 14.4 58,541 13.7
Did voluntary work through an organisation or group (last 12 months) 1,029 19.5 2,778 17.6 63,303 14.8

In West and North West, of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, 69.4% did unpaid domestic work in the week before the Census. During the two weeks before the Census, 33.9% provided care for children and 15.0% assisted family members or others due to a disability, long term illness or problems related to old age. In the year before the Census, 19.5% of people did voluntary work through an organisation or a group.

View the data quality statements for: Unpaid domestic work (DOMP) Unpaid child care (CHCAREP) Unpaid assistance (UNCAREP) Voluntary work (VOLWP)

Dwellings

dwelling characteristics | dwelling structure

Dwelling characteristics

Dwelling tables exclude visitor only and other non-classifiable households

Dwelling characteristics
Occupied private dwellings where at least one person was Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
West and North West % West and North West Tasmania % Tasmania Australia % Australia
Average number of people per household 2.9 -- 2.9 -- 3.2 --
Average number of persons per bedroom 0.9 -- 1 -- 1 --
Average number of registered motor vehicles per dwelling 1.9 -- 1.9 -- 1.7 --

There has been change in methodology used to calculate the average number of persons per bedroom. To compare the time series for average number of persons per bedroom please refer to Understanding the Census and Census Data

In West and North West, for dwellings occupied by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, the average household size was 2.9 persons, with 0.9 persons per bedroom and 1.9 registered motor vehicles per dwelling.

View the data quality statements for: Number of Bedrooms in Private Dwelling (BEDD) Household composition (HHCD) Indigenous household Indicator (INGDWTD)

Housing costs
Occupied private dwellings where at least one person was Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
West and North West % West and North West Tasmania % Tasmania Australia % Australia
Median weekly rent 210 -- 220 -- 250 --
Median monthly mortgage repayments 1,192 -- 1,300 -- 1,660 --

In West and North West, for dwellings occupied by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, the median weekly rent was $210 and the median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,192.

View the data quality statements for: Rent weekly payments (RNTD) Mortgage monthly repayments (MRED) Indigenous household Indicator (INGDWTD)

Family household composition
Counts the types of families within family households at the dwelling level
West and North West % West and North West Tasmania % Tasmania Australia % Australia
One family household: Couple family with no children 877 22.7 2,431 20.9 42,536 16.2
One family household: Couple family with children 1,345 34.8 3,870 33.3 80,803 30.7
One family household: One parent family 772 20.0 2,553 21.9 67,528 25.7
One family household: Other family 37 1.0 154 1.3 5,547 2.1
Multiple family household: Couple family with no children 16 0.4 48 0.4 2,223 0.8
Multiple family household: Couple family with children 21 0.5 72 0.6 4,951 1.9
Multiple family household: One parent family 25 0.6 86 0.7 5,768 2.2
Multiple family household: Other family 0 0.0 0 0.0 471 0.2
Other household 776 20.1 2,424 20.8 53,195 20.2

In West and North West, of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander households, 23.1% were a couple family with no children, 35.3% were a couple family with children and 20.6% were a one parent family.

In multiple family households, only the family composition of the primary family is recorded. Other household includes lone person households and group households.

View the data quality statement for Family Household Composition, dwelling level (HCFMD)

Dwelling structure

Dwelling structure
Occupied private dwellings where at least one person was Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
West and North West % West and North West Tasmania % Tasmania Australia % Australia
Separate house 3,559 92.2 10,382 89.5 211,205 80.7
Semi-detached, row or terrace house, townhouse etc 203 5.3 598 5.2 27,017 10.3
Flat or apartment 72 1.9 549 4.7 20,580 7.9
Other dwelling 25 0.6 66 0.6 2,897 1.1

In West and North West there were 3,875 private dwellings occupied by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people. Where a dwelling type was stated, 92.2% were separate houses, 5.3% were semi-detached, row or terrace houses, townhouses etc, 1.9% were flats or apartments and 0.6% were other dwellings.

View the data quality statement for Dwelling structure (STRD)
Tenure
Occupied private dwellings where at least one person was Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
West and North West % West and North West Tasmania % Tasmania Australia % Australia
Owned outright 776 20.1 2,070 17.8 32,045 12.2
Owned with a mortgage 1,343 34.7 3,923 33.7 68,085 25.9
Rented 1,608 41.6 5,236 45.0 150,832 57.3
Other tenure type 26 0.7 71 0.6 1,888 0.7
Tenure type not stated 117 3.0 337 2.9 10,182 3.9

In West and North West, of dwellings occupied by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, 20.1% were owned outright, 34.7% were owned with a mortgage and 41.6% were rented.

View the data quality statement for Tenure type (TEND)

Small random adjustments have been made to all cell values to protect the confidentiality of data. These adjustments may cause the sum of rows or columns to differ by small amounts from the table totals. For further information, go to the User Guide for QuickStats.

Data reported for Australia and Other Territories now includes Norfolk Island, following an amendment to the Acts Interpretation Act, 1901. Because Norfolk Island has not previously been included in the Census, any 2011 benchmarks will not include Norfolk Island.