2085.0 - Microdata: Australian Census Longitudinal Dataset with Social Security and Related Information, experimental statistics, 2006-2011 Quality Declaration 
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 23/08/2017  First Issue
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Image: Infographic about which Australians receive the Age Pension. Data repeated in text below.
Image: Infographic about how Australians on the Age Pension spent their time. Data repeated in text below.
Image: Infographic about the living arrangements of Australians on the Age Pension. Data repeated in text below
Image: Infographic explaining where the data about Australians on the Age Pension came from. Repeated in text below.


INSIGHTS FROM DATA INTEGRATION: AUSTRALIANS ON THE AGE PENSION

The Age Pension provides income support and access to a range of concessions for eligible women aged 64 years and over and men aged 65 years and over.


WHO RECEIVED THE AGE PENSION?

69% of Australians of pension age received the pension in 2011.
56% of recipients were women . 44% of recipients were men.
The average age of a person on the pension is 75 years.


HOW DID THEY SPEND THEIR TIME?

Caring
12% cared for children. Of those, 61% were women and 39% were men.
12% cared for someone with a disability.

Volunteering
24% of 65 year old pensioners did voluntary work. This reduced to 8% of those aged 85 and over.

Paid work
6% worked in some capacity, mostly part-time.
Of those employed, the most common paid work for men was Road and Rail Drivers (11%). Women were most commonly Carers and Aides (9%).


WHAT WERE THEIR LIVING AND HOUSING ARRANGEMENTS?

Living arrangements in 2011
66% of pensioners lived at the same address as they did 10 years earlier.
24% of pensioners aged under 80 lived alone. This increased to nearly 40% for those aged 80 and over.
2% of 65 year old pensioners lived in a nursing home, retirement village or other retirement accommodation. This increased to 53% for those aged 95 and over.

Changes in type of accommodation
8% changed their type of accommodation from 2006 to 2011. The most common change was to a retirement village from another private dwelling.

Home ownership
75% owned their home outright. 8% still had a mortgage.

Regional variations:
Pensioners who owned their home outright:
91% in Keilor
73% in Albany
38% in Sydney Inner City

Renting
15% were renting, with 35% of those living in public housing.

Home internet access
52% had access to the internet at home.
Highest level of home internet access: ACT, 65%.
Lowest level of home internet access: NT, 47%.


WHERE DID THESE NUMBERS COME FROM?

A joint project between the Australian Bureau of Statistics and the Department of Social Services, resulting in the integrated dataset Microdata: Australian Census Longitudinal Dataset with Social Security and Related Information, experimental statistics, 2006–2011 (cat. no. 2085.0).

Figures in ‘Who received the Age Pension?’ are from the DSS Social Security and Related Information (SSRI) linkage dataset, Sep 2011; and Australian Demographic Statistics, Sep 2011 (cat no. 3101.0).