Australian Capital Territory

2016 Census Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people QuickStats
Geography type State/Territory
Area code 8
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people 6,507
Male 50.2%
Female 49.8%
Median age 23
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander households 3,254
Average people per household 2.9
Median weekly household income $1,886
Median monthly mortgage repayments $2,167
Median weekly rent $360

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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 Australian Capital Territory % Australian Capital Territory 2011 % 2011 Australia % Australia
Aboriginal 6,138 94.3 4,855 93.9 590,062 90.9
Torres Strait Islander 180 2.8 183 3.5 32,344 5.0
Both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander 189 2.9 133 2.6 26,767 4.1

For the 2016 Census in Australian Capital Territory, there were 6,507 Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people. Of these, 50.2% were male and 49.8% were female.

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

Age Australian Capital Territory % Australian Capital Territory 2011 % 2011 Australia % Australia
Median age 23 -- 22 -- 23 --
0-4 years 726 11.2 571 11.0 73,265 11.3
5-14 years 1,302 20.0 1,117 21.6 147,134 22.7
15-24 years 1,368 21.0 1,168 22.5 123,719 19.1
25-34 years 1,031 15.9 807 15.6 88,861 13.7
35-44 years 756 11.6 641 12.4 72,394 11.2
45-54 years 693 10.7 500 9.6 67,415 10.4
55-64 years 419 6.4 272 5.2 45,433 7.0
65 years and over 205 3.2 106 2.0 30,952 4.8

In Australian Capital Territory, the median age of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people was 23 years. Of the Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people 31.2% were children aged 0 to 14 years and 3.2% were people aged 65 years and over.

View the data quality statement for Age (AGEP)
Registered marital status
People aged 15 years and over
Australian Capital Territory % Australian Capital Territory 2011 % 2011 Australia % Australia
Married 1,164 26.0 815 23.3 105,086 24.5
Separated 167 3.7 114 3.3 19,112 4.5
Divorced 374 8.4 285 8.1 28,796 6.7
Widowed 81 1.8 74 2.1 13,794 3.2
Never married 2,686 60.1 2,209 63.2 261,980 61.1

In Australian Capital Territory, 26.0% of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people were married and 12.1% were either divorced or separated.

View the data quality statement for Registered marital status (MSTP)
Social marital status
People aged 15 years and over
Australian Capital Territory % Australian Capital Territory 2011 % 2011 Australia % Australia
Registered marriage 1,018 25.5 725 23.5 86,716 23.1
De facto marriage 648 16.2 484 15.7 60,051 16.0
Not married 2,325 58.3 1,878 60.8 228,281 60.9

In Australian Capital Territory, 25.5% of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people were in a registered marriage and 16.2% were in a de facto marriage.

View the data quality statement for Social marital status (MDCP)
Education attendance Australian Capital Territory % Australian Capital Territory 2011 % 2011 Australia % Australia
Pre-school 181 6.7 135 6.1 16,698 6.4
Primary 903 33.4 692 31.4 97,859 37.5
Secondary 642 23.7 507 23.0 65,208 25.0
Technical or further education institution 221 8.2 217 9.8 14,227 5.5
University or tertiary institution 411 15.2 296 13.4 15,489 5.9
Other 61 2.3 32 1.5 5,047 1.9
Not stated 288 10.6 327 14.8 46,428 17.8

Of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in Australian Capital Territory, 41.6% were attending an educational institution. Of these, 33.4% were attending a primary school, 23.7% were attending a secondary school and 23.3% 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
Australian Capital Territory % Australian Capital Territory 2011 % 2011 Australia % Australia
Bachelor Degree level and above 771 17.2 -- -- 24,911 5.8
Advanced Diploma and Diploma level 477 10.7 -- -- 23,795 5.5
Certificate level IV 264 5.9 -- -- 14,308 3.3
Certificate level III 471 10.5 -- -- 56,625 13.2
Year 12 808 18.0 -- -- 59,949 14.0
Year 11 234 5.2 -- -- 34,674 8.1
Year 10 611 13.6 -- -- 77,265 18.0
Certificate level II 11 0.2 -- -- 1,215 0.3
Certificate level I 0 0.0 -- -- 241 0.1
Year 9 or below 410 9.2 -- -- 64,604 15.1
No educational attainment 20 0.4 -- -- 4,256 1.0
Not stated 309 6.9 -- -- 56,698 13.2

Of people aged 15 and over in Australian Capital Territory, 18.0% reported having completed Year 12 as their highest level of educational attainment, 16.4% had completed a Certificate III or IV and 10.7% had completed an Advanced Diploma or Diploma.

2011 benchmarks are not available for this data item.

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

Cultural & language diversity

Australian Indigenous language, top responses Australian Capital Territory % Australian Capital Territory 2011 % 2011 Australia % Australia
Aboriginal English, so described 23 0.4 25 0.5 625 0.1
Wiradjuri 14 0.2 7 0.1 432 0.1
Other Australian Indigenous Languages, nec 8 0.1 3 0.1 347 0.1
Yumplatok (Torres Strait Creole) 4 0.1 3 0.1 6,000 0.9
Warlpiri 3 0.0 0 0.0 2,276 0.4
 null  null  null  null  null  null  null
English only spoken at home 6,048 92.9 4,844 93.4 544,491 83.9

English was the only language spoken at home by 92.9% of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in Australian Capital Territory. Indigenous languages spoken at home include Aboriginal English, so described 0.4%, Wiradjuri 0.2%, Other Australian Indigenous Languages, nec 0.1%, Yumplatok (Torres Strait Creole) 0.1% and Warlpiri 0.0%.

View the data quality statement for Language spoken at home (LANP)
Ancestry, top responses Australian Capital Territory % Australian Capital Territory 2011 % 2011 Australia % Australia
Australian 4,421 45.1 3,550 48.4 399,843 45.0
English 1,786 18.2 1,216 16.6 152,758 17.2
Australian Aboriginal 1,021 10.4 669 9.1 140,480 15.8
Irish 809 8.3 550 7.5 45,887 5.2
Scottish 531 5.4 296 4.0 30,843 3.5

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 Australian Capital Territory (including those who did not state an ancestry).

For Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in Australian Capital Territory, the most common ancestries were Australian 45.1%, English 18.2%, Australian Aboriginal 10.4%, Irish 8.3% and Scottish 5.4%.

View the data quality statement for Ancestry (ANCP)

Employment

Employment
People who reported being in the labour force, aged 15 years and over
Australian Capital Territory % Australian Capital Territory 2011 % 2011 Australia % Australia
Worked full-time 1,906 62.4 1,423 61.2 106,960 48.0
Worked part-time 709 23.2 508 21.8 61,049 27.4
Away from work 159 5.2 181 7.8 14,143 6.4
Unemployed 281 9.2 214 9.2 40,486 18.2
Not in the labour force 1,343 30.0 1,073 30.8 190,132 44.3

There were 3,055 people who reported being in the labour force in the week before Census night in Australian Capital Territory. Of these 62.4% were employed full time, 23.2% were employed part-time and 9.2% 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
Australian Capital Territory % Australian Capital Territory 2011 % 2011 Australia % Australia
Clerical and Administrative Workers 620 22.3 461 21.8 23,174 12.7
Professionals 575 20.7 435 20.6 24,339 13.4
Community and Personal Service Workers 343 12.3 272 12.9 30,991 17.0
Managers 340 12.2 245 11.6 12,844 7.1
Technicians and Trades Workers 264 9.5 253 12.0 24,399 13.4
Labourers 208 7.5 127 6.0 27,814 15.3
Sales Workers 189 6.8 157 7.4 15,791 8.7
Inadequately described 129 4.6 68 3.2 3,291 1.8

For Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in Australian Capital Territory, the most common occupations were Clerical and Administrative Workers 22.3%, Professionals 20.7%, Community and Personal Service Workers 12.3%, Managers 12.2%, Technicians and Trades Workers 9.5%, Labourers 7.5%, Sales Workers 6.8% and Inadequately described 4.6%.

View the data quality statement for Occupation (OCCP)
Industry of employment, top responses
Employed people aged 15 years and over
Australian Capital Territory % Australian Capital Territory 2011 % 2011 Australia % Australia
Central Government Administration 590 22.1 465 22.2 3,808 2.1
Defence 164 6.1 78 3.7 1,602 0.9
State Government Administration 115 4.3 70 3.3 4,176 2.3
Takeaway Food Services 69 2.6 42 2.0 4,469 2.5
Higher Education 59 2.2 38 1.8 1,885 1.0

For Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in Australian Capital Territory, the most common industries of employment were Central Government Administration 22.1%, Defence 6.1%, State Government Administration 4.3%, Takeaway Food Services 2.6% and Higher Education 2.2%.

View the data quality statement for Industry of employment (INDP)
Median weekly incomes
People aged 15 years and over
Australian Capital Territory % Australian Capital Territory 2011 % 2011 Australia % Australia
Personal 789 -- 643 -- 441 --
Household 1,886 -- 1,675 -- 1,203 --

The median weekly personal income for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in Australian Capital Territory was $789 and the median weekly household income was $1,886.

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

Unpaid work
People aged 15 years and over
Australian Capital Territory % Australian Capital Territory 2011 % 2011 Australia % Australia
Did unpaid domestic work (last week) 3,243 72.5 2,420 69.2 263,334 61.4
Cared for child/children (last two weeks) 1,385 31.0 1,089 31.2 136,079 31.7
Provided unpaid assistance to a person with a disability (last two weeks) 618 13.8 448 12.8 58,541 13.7
Did voluntary work through an organisation or group (last 12 months) 934 20.9 640 18.3 63,303 14.8

In Australian Capital Territory, of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, 72.5% did unpaid domestic work in the week before the Census. During the two weeks before the Census, 31.0% provided care for children and 13.8% assisted family members or others due to a disability, long term illness or problems related to old age. In the year before the Census, 20.9% 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
Australian Capital Territory % Australian Capital Territory 2011 % 2011 Australia % Australia
Average number of people per household 2.9 -- 3 -- 3.2 --
Average number of persons per bedroom 1 -- (a) -- 1 --
Average number of registered motor vehicles per dwelling 1.9 -- 1.8 -- 1.7 --

a) 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 Australian Capital Territory, for dwellings occupied by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, the average household size was 2.9 persons, with 1 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
Australian Capital Territory % Australian Capital Territory 2011 % 2011 Australia % Australia
Median weekly rent 360 -- 320 -- 250 --
Median monthly mortgage repayments 2,167 -- 2,167 -- 1,660 --

In Australian Capital Territory, for dwellings occupied by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, the median weekly rent was $360 and the median monthly mortgage repayment was $2,167.

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
Australian Capital Territory % Australian Capital Territory 2011 % 2011 Australia % Australia
One family household: Couple family with no children 647 19.8 430 17.6 42,536 16.2
One family household: Couple family with children 1,033 31.7 773 31.7 80,803 30.7
One family household: One parent family 694 21.3 600 24.6 67,528 25.7
One family household: Other family 54 1.7 48 2.0 5,547 2.1
Multiple family household: Couple family with no children 22 0.7 8 0.3 2,223 0.8
Multiple family household: Couple family with children 34 1.0 22 0.9 4,951 1.9
Multiple family household: One parent family 26 0.8 29 1.2 5,768 2.2
Multiple family household: Other family 0 0.0 0 0.0 471 0.2
Other household 751 23.0 532 21.8 53,195 20.2

In Australian Capital Territory, of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander households, 20.5% were a couple family with no children, 32.7% were a couple family with children and 22.1% 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
Australian Capital Territory % Australian Capital Territory 2011 % 2011 Australia % Australia
Separate house 2,285 70.2 1,763 71.9 211,205 80.7
Semi-detached, row or terrace house, townhouse etc 587 18.0 359 14.6 27,017 10.3
Flat or apartment 370 11.4 315 12.8 20,580 7.9
Other dwelling 15 0.5 15 0.6 2,897 1.1

In Australian Capital Territory there were 3,254 private dwellings occupied by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people. Where a dwelling type was stated, 70.2% were separate houses, 18.0% were semi-detached, row or terrace houses, townhouses etc, 11.4% were flats or apartments and 0.5% 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
Australian Capital Territory % Australian Capital Territory 2011 % 2011 Australia % Australia
Owned outright 325 10.0 213 8.7 32,045 12.2
Owned with a mortgage 1,069 32.9 808 33.1 68,085 25.9
Rented 1,737 53.5 1,358 55.6 150,832 57.3
Other tenure type 18 0.6 7 0.3 1,888 0.7
Tenure type not stated 100 3.1 56 2.3 10,182 3.9

In Australian Capital Territory, of dwellings occupied by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, 10.0% were owned outright, 32.9% were owned with a mortgage and 53.5% 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.