1344.8.55.001 - ACT Stats, 2006  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 26/09/2006   
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MEDIA RELEASE
September 26, 2006
Embargoed 11.30am (AEST)
91/2006
Canberra residents earn more and own more: ABS

Canberrans earned almost $200 a week more than their state and territory counterparts during 2003-04, according to an analysis of recently released figures by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

The median earnings for the ACT were $1,108 per week, while the median earnings for the rest of Australia came in at $915. The ACT also had the higest value of household contents ($69,000), significantly higher than the national average ($47,000).

Net worth - a person's total assets less any liabilities - in the ACT was the highest of all states and territories (median $400,000), while property assets were similar to the national average.

The largest financial asset of ACT households during 2003-04 was value of accounts with financial institutions (mean $21,000), on par with the national figure.

The principal source of income for ACT households in 2003-04 was wages and salaries (58% and 68% respectively), followed by Government pensions and allowances (17%). Property loans were the largest liability ($48,000 per household), followed by credit cards ($2,200) and study loans ($1,800).

Full details can be found in ACT Stats (cat. no. 1344.8.55.001), which can be downloaded free of charge from the ABS website <www.abs.gov.au>