3417.0.55.001 - Microdata: Australian Census and Migrants Integrated Dataset, 2011 Quality Declaration 
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 14/02/2014  First Issue
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GLOSSARY

Apart from the concepts relating to variables originating from the Department of Immigration and Border Protection's Settlement Data Base (SDB) (i.e. 'Visa stream', 'offshore/onshore' applicant and 'main/secondary applicant'), all other terms and definitions relate to Census variables and the Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS). Explanations have been provided below, however, the Census Dictionary can be referred to if more detail is required. Further information regarding the Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) can be found at Statistical Geography.

Australian citizen

Persons who arrived to live in Australia on a permanent or temporary visa and have since obtained Australian citizenship.

Being an Australian citizen formalises a person's membership of the Australian community. It entitles a person to live permanently in Australia, hold an Australian passport and do such things as vote to elect Australia's governments, stand for parliament, work in the Public Service and serve in the armed forces. A person may acquire Australian citizenship in a number of ways, for example, by birth, adoption, descent, resumption or grant of Australian citizenship (naturalisation). Migrants no longer require a visa once citizenship is granted.

Migrants can apply for Citizenship after residing in Australia holding a visa for four years immediately before applying. This must include the last 12 months as a permanent resident. In addition they must not have been absent from Australia for more than one year in total, in the 4 year period, including no more than 90 days absent in the year before applying.

Australian Standard Classification of Education (ASCED)

The ASCED is a national standard classification which includes all sectors of the Australian education system: that is, schools, vocational education and training, and higher education. From 2001 ASCED replaced a number of classifications used in administrative and statistical systems, including the Australian Bureau of Statistics Classifications of Qualifications (ABSCQ). The ASCED comprises two classifications: Level of Education and Field of Education. See Australian Standard Classification of Education (ASCED), 2001 (cat. no. 1272.0).

Country of birth

Country of birth has been classified according to the Standard Australian Classification of Countries (SACC), Second Edition, 2008 (cat. no. 1269.0).

Employed

Persons who, during the week prior to the Census on 9 August 2011 (last week) worked for one hour or more for pay, profit, commission or payment in kind in a job, business or farm (comprising employees, employers and own account workers); or worked for one hour or more without pay in a family business or on a farm (i.e. contributing family workers); or were employees who had a job but were not at work.

Employed full time

Employed persons who usually worked 35 hours or more a week (in all jobs) and those who, although usually working less than 35 hours a week, worked 35 hours or more during the reference week.

Employed part time

Employed persons who usually worked less than 35 hours or more a week (in all jobs) and either did so during the reference week, or were not at work in the reference week.

Industry

Industry is classified according to the Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC), 2006 (cat. no. 1292.0.55.002).

Labour force

Persons who were in the categories 'employed' or 'unemployed' as defined.

Level of highest non-school qualification

Level of highest non-school qualification identifies the highest qualification a person has attained in any area of study. It is not a measurement of the relative importance of different fields of study but a ranking of qualifications and other educational attainments regardless of the particular area of study or the type of institution in which the study was undertaken. It is categorised according to the Australian Standard Classification of Education (ASCED), 2001 (cat. no. 1272.0) Level of Education classification.

Main applicant

The 'main applicant' is generally the person whose skills or proposed activities in Australia are assessed by the Department of Immigration and Border Protection as part of their visa application. They will usually have been specifically identified on the application form as the 'main applicant'.

Main English-speaking countries

The list of main English-speaking countries provided here is not an attempt to classify countries on the basis of whether or not English is the predominant or official language of each country. It is a list of the main countries from which Australia receives, or has received, significant numbers of overseas settlers who are likely to speak English. The list therefore includes South Africa. Although large numbers of South Africans do not speak English as their first language, those who migrate to Australia are likely to speak English. The list does not include country units which are statistically insignificant in the Australian context, although they are English-speaking countries.

The set of main English-speaking countries used in this dataset consists of:

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • Ireland, Republic of
  • New Zealand
  • South Africa
  • United Kingdom
    • England
    • Scotland
    • Wales
    • Northern Ireland
  • United States of America.
Main field of non-school qualification

Main field of non-school qualification is defined as the subject matter of the qualification. It is categorised according to the Australian Standard Classification of Education (ASCED), 2001 (cat. no. 1272.0) Field of Education classification.

Non-main English-speaking countries

Non-main English-speaking countries describes people originating from countries where a language other than English is likely to be spoken by migrants. It is important to note that being from a non-main English-speaking country does not imply a lack of proficiency in English.

Non-school qualification

Non-school qualifications are awarded for educational attainments other than those of pre-primary, primary or secondary education. They include qualifications at the Postgraduate Degree level, Master Degree level, Graduate Diploma and Graduate Certificate level, Bachelor Degree level, Advanced Diploma and Diploma level, and Certificates I, II, III and IV levels. Non-school qualifications may be obtained concurrently with school qualifications.

Not in the labour force

Persons who were not in the categories 'employed' or 'unemployed' as defined.

Occupation

Occupation is classified according to the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO), First Edition, 2006 (cat. no. 1220.0).

Offshore/Onshore Applicant

A person who has applied from outside of Australia for a permanent entry visa is called an 'offshore' applicant. A person who has applied for a permanent visa from within Australia (e.g. maybe on a temporary visa and wishes to remain in Australia, such as a student or a temporary worker) is classified as an 'Onshore' applicant.

For an offshore applicant, the arrival date is recorded on the SDB when the applicant arrives in Australia on that permanent visa. For a person who applies onshore, the arrival date listed on the SDB is the date of their last entry into Australia.

Permanent visa

The permission or authority granted by Australia for foreign nationals to live in Australia permanently.

Permanent migrant

A person who was born overseas, was not an Australian citizen or New Zealand citizen on arrival, does not currently hold New Zealand citizenship, and has permanent Australian resident status.

Secondary applicant

A person whose visa was granted on the basis of being the family member (e.g. spouse, dependent child) of a person who qualified for a visa. They will have been identified on the visa application as an 'other' or secondary applicant with the person who met the visa criteria being specifically identified on the visa application as the 'main applicant'. Secondary applicants are included in the same visa stream as the main applicant. For example, family members granted permanent visas where the main applicant has been granted a Skilled stream visa, will all enter Australia under a Skilled stream visa.

Unemployed

Persons aged 15 years and over who were not employed last week (at the time of the Census), and had actively looked for full-time or part-time work at any time in the last four weeks and were available and could have started work last week if the job had been available then.

Visa stream (permanent)

The permanent visa held at the time of the 2011 Census, that allowed them to stay in Australia. Categories for type of visa stream are:
  • Skilled - Skilled migrants are selected on the basis of their age, skills and their ability to quickly make a contribution to the Australian economy. Includes Independent, Australian sponsored, Employer/State sponsored and Business skills visas
  • Family - Includes partner, child and parent visas
  • Humanitarian - Includes humanitarian and refugee visas.

Year of arrival

Year of arrival as reported in the estimates in this dataset, relate to the Census variable. All overseas born people, in scope for the Census, are asked to report when they first came to Australia to live for one year or more.

Census Year of arrival is a different concept from the arrival date recorded on the SDB. The SDB arrival date reflects an individuals latest arrival date pertaining to their latest permanent visa. For this reason, while the scope of the Australian Census and Migrants Integrated Dataset, 2011 is restricted to those with an arrival date on the SDB from 1 January 2000 - 9 August 2011, it is quite valid for people to have reported an earlier date of arrival on the Census as it may have related to an earlier temporary visa.