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Definitions and references

Adult employees

employees aged 21 years and over, and those under 21 years who are paid at the full adult rate.
Reference: Employee Earnings and Hours, Australia (ABS cat. no. 6306.0).

people receiving full or partial Age pension excluding associated Wife's or Carer's pension. The qualifying age for Age pension eligibility for men is 65 years. Between 1 July 1995 and 2012, the qualifying age for women is gradually being raised from 60 to 65 years. At 1 July 2002 the qualifying age for females was 62 years.
Reference: Commonwealth Department of Family and Community Services, Customers: a statistical overview.

population meeting age criteria for the Age pension, comprising men 65 years and over and women 62 years and over in 2002; men 65 years and over and women 60 years and over prior to 1998.
Reference: Population by Age and Sex, Australian States and Territories (ABS cat. no. 3201.0).

average total weekly earnings of employees including ordinary time earnings plus overtime earnings.
Reference: Average Weekly Earnings, Australia (ABS cat. no. 6302.0).

includes wages, salaries and employers' social contributions. Wages and salaries include payments in kind and termination and redundancy payments. Employers' social contributions comprise employer contributions to superannuation and workers' compensation premiums.
Reference: Australian System of National Accounts (ABS cat. no. 5204.0).

a measure of change over time in the retail price of a constant basket of goods and services which is representative of consumption patterns of employee households in metropolitan areas.
Reference: The Australian Consumer Price Index: Concepts, Sources and Methods (ABS cat. no. 6461.0).

persons receiving a pension on the basis of an assessed physical, intellectual or psychiatric impairment and on their continuing inability to work or be retrained to work 30 hours or more per week within the next two years.
Reference: Commonwealth Department of Family and Community Services, Customers: a statistical overview, 2000.

gross income less personal income tax (including the Medicare levy and other ad hoc periodic levies).
Reference: Income Distribution, Australia (ABS cat. no. 6523.0).

all wage and salary earners who received pay for any part of the reference period.
Reference: Employee Earnings and Hours, Australia (ABS cat. no. 6306.0).

disposable income adjusted, using simplified Henderson equivalence scales, to allow comparison between different types of income units. The scales reflect assumptions about how different characteristics, e.g. size and composition, relate to the amount of income different types of income units need to achieve an equivalent standard of living.
Reference: Income Distribution, Australia (ABS cat. no. 6523.0).

Reference: Employee Earnings and Hours, Australia (ABS cat. no. 6306.0).

the maximum weekly social security benefit (including family allowances) available to an adult couple with one child aged under 5 years and one child aged between 5 and 13 years. Excludes any rent assistance which may be available.
Reference: Commonwealth Department of Family and Community Services, unpublished data.

employees who usually work 35 hours or more a week, or the agreed hours of a full-time employee.
Reference: Employee Earnings and Hours, Australia (ABS cat. no. 6306.0).

an aggregate measure of the value of economic production in a year. The series used are GDP chain volume measures (reference year 1997-98) and GDP at current prices.
Reference: Australian System of National Accounts: (ABS cat. no. 5204.0).

special appropriations under the Social Security Act 1991 for income support as a proportion of GDP.
Reference: Department of Social Security, Annual Report.From 1998-99, Commonwealth Department of Family and Community Services, Annual Report.

a measure for assessing inequality of income distribution. The measure, expressed as a ratio that is always between 0 and 1, is low for populations with relatively equal income distributions and high for populations with relatively unequal income distributions.
Reference: Surveys of Income and Housing Costs, Australia.

where gross household disposable income, as measured in the Australian System of National Accounts, is gross household income less income tax payable, other current taxes on income, wealth etc., consumer debt interest, interest payable by dwellings and unincorporated enterprises, social contributions for workers' compensation, net non-life insurance premiums and other current transfers payable by households. The population used is the mean resident population for the financial year.
Reference: Australian National Accounts: State Accounts (ABS cat. no. 5220.0).

cash receipts, that are of a regular and recurring nature, before tax or any other deductions are made.
Reference: Income Distribution, Australia (ABS cat. no. 6523.0).

a similar measure to GDP but based on State income estimates. However, current prices have been used with State estimates, as the chain volume measures are experimental.
Reference: Australian National Accounts: State Accounts (ABS cat. no. 5220.0).

households in the top income quintile (9th and 10th deciles) after being ranked by their equivalised income.
Reference: Surveys of Income and Housing Costs, Australia. (ABS cat. no. 6553.0).

a group of related or unrelated people who usually live in the same dwelling and make common provision for food and other essentials of living; or a lone person who makes provision for his or her own food and other essentials of living without combining with any other person.
Reference: Surveys of Income and Housing Costs, Australia. (ABS cat. no. 6553.0).

net expenditure on goods and services by persons, and expenditure of a current nature by private nonprofit institutions serving households. Includes personal expenditure on motor vehicles and other durable goods, the value of 'backyard' production, the payment of wages and salaries in kind and imputed rent on owner-occupied dwellings. Excludes the purchase and maintenance of dwellings by persons and capital expenditure by unincorporated businesses and nonprofit institutions. The measure is expressed in Australian dollars using chain volume measures, reference year 1997-98, and is based on the mean resident population of each financial year.
Reference: Australian System of National Accounts (ABS cat. no. 5204.0).

households that have income that is as high or higher than 10%, 20%, 50%, 80% or 90% of all households. For more information, see Measuring Australia's Progress (ABS. cat. no. 1370.0).
Reference: Surveys of Income and Housing Costs, Australia. (ABS cat. no. 6553.0).

the number of recipients of Unemployment Benefit prior to 1991; Job Search Allowance, Newstart Allowance and Youth Training Allowance from 1991 to 1996; Newstart Allowance and Youth Training Allowance from 1997; Newstart Allowance and Youth Allowance (other) from July 1998.
Reference: Commonwealth Department of Family and Community Services, Customers: a statistical overview.

households in the 2nd and 3rd income deciles after being ranked by their equivalised income.
Reference: Surveys of Income and Housing Costs, Australia. (ABS cat. no. 6553.0).

where government pensions or allowances form the largest component of usual income.
Reference: Income Distribution, Australia (ABS cat. no. 6523.0).

managerial, executive and senior professional employees who are in charge of a significant number of employees or have significant responsibilities in the conduct or operations of the organisation and who usually do not receive payment for overtime.
Reference: Employee Earnings and Hours, Australia (ABS cat. no. 6306.0).

Reference: Employee Earnings and Hours, Australia (ABS cat. no. 6306.0).

the level of weekly income at which half the income units have higher incomes and half have lower incomes.
Reference: Income Distribution, Australia (ABS cat. no. 6523.0).

households in the middle income quintile (5th and 6th deciles) after being ranked by their equivalised income.
Reference: Surveys of Income and Housing Costs, Australia. (ABS cat. no. 6553.0).

employees' agreed hours of work including annual leave, paid sick leave and long service leave taken during the reference period.
Reference: Employee Earnings and Hours, Australia (ABS cat. no. 6306.0).

net income tax levied on individuals (including the Medicare levy minus rebates and other credits) expressed as a percentage of taxable income (i.e. gross income or profits minus allowable tax deductions).
Reference: Australian Taxation Office, Taxation Statistics; Government Finance Statistics, Australia: Concepts, Sources and Methods (ABS cat. no. 5514.0).

share of gross/equivalised income received by the 20% of income units with the highest/lowest incomes.
Reference: Income Distribution, Australia (ABS cat. no. 6523.0).

lone parents receiving the 'Parenting Payment - Single'. Prior to March 1998, this was known as the 'Sole Parent Pension'. Reference: Commonwealth Department of Family and Community Services, Customers: a statistical overview.

where wages and salaries form the largest component of usual income.
Reference: Income Distribution, Australia (ABS cat. no. 6523.0).