• Summary
• Downloads
• Explanatory Notes
• Related Information
• Past Releases

The proportion of Indigenous people in Tasmania (aged 15 and over) with a non-school qualification (e.g. from university, TAFE, etc.) has increased by more than one and a half times between 1994 and 2002 - from one in six (16%) to one in four (26%). The proportion of Indigenous people with a certificate or diploma almost doubled (from 13% to 23%), while those with a Bachelor degree or higher qualification remained steady at 3%.

Excluding those who had a non-school qualification, the proportion of Indigenous people in Tasmania who had completed Year 12 rose (from 3% in 1994 to 8% in 2002).

Despite these improvements, in Tasmania in 2002 Indigenous people (aged 18 and over) were still less likely than non-Indigenous people to have a non-school qualification (31% compared with 44% respectively).

Work:

In Tasmania the unemployment rate for Indigenous people (aged 15 and over) fell from 28% in 1994 to 20% in 2002. This change parallels the decline in the national unemployment rate (from 10% in June 1994 to 6% in December 2002).

The share of unemployed Indigenous people in Tasmania who had been out of work for one year or more declined (from 47% in 1994 to 25% in 2002).

The proportion of Indigenous people in Tasmania that were employed in mainstream jobs rose (from 45% in 1994 to 50% in 2002).

Income:

The gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples' incomes in Tasmania remains. In Tasmania in 2002, Indigenous people (aged 18 and over) earned 77% of the income of non-Indigenous people ($411 per week compared to $531 per week after adjusting for household size and composition).

Health:

After adjusting for the different age structures of both Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations, Indigenous people in Tasmania were:

• almost twice as likely as non-Indigenous people to report their health as "fair" or "poor"
• around two-thirds as likely to report "excellent" or "very good" health
• one and a half times more likely to have a disability or long-term health condition than non-Indigenous people.

In Tasmania over the eight years since 1994, evidence highlights stability on selected cultural indicators. In 2002:

• more than one-quarter of Indigenous people reported attending Indigenous cultural events in the previous 12 months.
• one in six Indigenous people identified with a clan, tribal or language group.

Indigenous people living in Tasmania in 2002 were more likely to experience at least one life stressor (e.g. "death of family member or close friend", "serious illness or disability", or "inability to get a job") than non-Indigenous people (75% compared with 59%).

Similar to the non-Indigenous community in Tasmania, the overwhelming majority of Indigenous people received support from someone outside the household (93% for Indigenous people compared with 96% for non-Indigenous people).

Law and justice:

There has been a decline in the proportion of Indigenous people in Tasmania who reported having been arrested in the previous five years (from 13% in 1994 to 9% in 2002).

Compared to 1994, Indigenous people in Tasmania in 2002 were one and a half times more likely to report that they had been a victim of physical or threatened violence in the previous 12 months (22% in 2002, up from 14% in 1994). These victimisation rates were highest among unemployed people (42%) and younger people aged 15-24 (34%).

Housing:

The proportion of Indigenous people in Tasmania that were living in dwellings either owned or being purchased remained steady between 1994 and 2002 (both 57%).


More details are available in National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey, 2002 (cat. no. 4714.0). State/territory comparisons for selected indicators are available in Table 2 of the publication. Additonal state and territory data cube tables are available off the publication's main features page on the ABS web site or upon request.