Statistical News
Developments In ABS Statistics

Australians Are Using Less Water But More Energy

Australia’s Environment: Issues and Trends presents a snapshot of environmental issues affecting Australia. The 2010 edition also includes a feature article on the issue of climate change, and what it means for Australia.

This edition highlights that water use by agriculture has fallen by almost half in two years, with the biggest reductions occurring in New South Wales and Victoria, while the proportion of households using water saving devices has doubled between 1994 and 2007.

While water consumption fell, energy use rose. Australia’s heavy reliance on fossil fuels, especially for power generation, has seen greenhouse gas emissions in the energy sector rise by almost one-half since 1990, however emissions per head of population fell by 12% over the same period.

The Northern Territory and Western Australia lead other states in solar hot water use (54% and 21%, respectively), but overall, less than 10% of Australian homes were using solar hot water in 2008.

Australians are also living in larger homes with fewer people; this is increasing greenhouse emissions from the electricity and gas used to build and run them.

Further details can be found in Australia’s Environment: Issues and Trends January 2010 (cat. no. 4613.0).

Record Numbers Enter And Leave Australia

The total number of international arrivals and departures reached a record high last year.

There were 12.4 million overseas arrivals and 12.3 million departures in 2009, making a record of 24.7 million international movements across Australia’s borders. This is an increase in overseas movements of nearly 60% since 1999.

In 2009, short-term movements accounted for 96% of the total 24.7 million movements. Short-term movements are travellers who have an intended stay in, or absence from, Australia of less than one year.

Short-term visitors arriving in Australia remained steady at 5.6 million. New Zealand, the UK, and the USA were the three top source countries, accounting for 40% of all short-term visitor arrivals.

For more information see Overseas Arrivals and Departures, Australia, December 2009 (cat. no. 3401.0).

Australian Social Trends

The ABS released the latest edition of Australian Social Trends (cat. no. 4102.0) on 16 March 2010. The publication draws together a wide range of statistics from the ABS and other official sources to provide a picture of Australian society and how it is changing over time.

Increasing education participation and improving transition to work outcomes for young Australians are key objectives of the Council of Australian Governments 2009 National Partnership Agreement on Youth Attainment. This looks at the levels of engagement of young people in study and work including the transitions of recent school leavers.

In Western Australia, around 18% of young people aged 15-24 years were not fully engaged (in either study or work). This was just under the national average of 19%.

In the justice area, the imprisonment rate has increased steadily over the last decade. Australian Social Trends looks at prisoners who have been released from prison and then reimprisoned within 10 years of their release.

Within 10 years of release, 38% of prisoners in Western Australia were reimprisoned, compared with the national average of 39%.