5673.0.55.001 - Regional Wage and Salary Earner Statistics, Australia, 2003-04  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 09/03/2007   
   Page tools: Print Print Page Print all pages in this productPrint All

INTRODUCTION



This publication presents selected data on the characteristics of wage and salary earners in the Statistical Local Areas (SLAs) with the highest average income from wages and salaries in 2003-04 for each state and territory. Data for all SLAs are available through the 'Details' tab of Regional Wage and Salary Earner Statistics, Australia - Data Cubes, 2003-04 (cat. no. 5673.0.55.003). It should be noted that SLAs that had less than 100 wage and salary earners have not been considered when ranking the highest average wage and salary earners for each state and territory.

The estimates of the number of wage and salary earners and their characteristics, including age, sex, occupation and income, have been compiled from the Australian Taxation Office's (ATO) Individual Income Tax Return Database and are part of the Australian Bureau of Statistics' (ABS) program to increase the range of regional data available to users of regional statistics, particularly through the use of administrative information from other government agencies.

The ABS wishes to acknowledge the support the ATO has provided in compiling these statistics. All individual income tax statistics provided by the ATO have been in aggregated form only. No information about individual taxpayers has been released to the ABS.

This publication should be read in conjunction with the Explanatory Notes available through the 'Explanatory Notes' tab on the ABS product page for this publication. For further information about these or related statistics please contact the National Information Service on 1300 135 070.

For a definition of wage and salary earners as defined in this publication please click on the following link: Definition Of Wage And Salary Earners

The publication contributes towards the information need, detailed in the ABS Information Development Plan for regional statistics:

"(4) Improve the availability of data on regional economic wellbeing, by investigating opportunities for further development of estimates of income, including:
- personal and household income and expenses
- reliance on income support
- economic wellbeing of farm families, including the contribution to income of off-farm work."

This and other high priority regional research information needs are detailed in Information Paper: Regional Research in Australia - the Statistical Dimension: an Information Development Plan for Rural and Regional Statistics, 2005 (cat. no. 1362.0).

While this publication focuses on the top five Statistical Local Areas with the highest average wage and salary incomes in each state and territory, access to other small area data for these and other Statistical Local Areas is available in the National Regional Profile (cat. no. 1379.0.55.001). The National Regional Profile can be accessed from the ABS website by selecting the 'Main Areas - by Name' or 'Main Areas - By Map' options under the 'Regional Statistics' heading on the ABS homepage.