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NOTES


ABOUT THIS PUBLICATION

This publication presents data from the Survey of Income and Housing (SIH) on Australian housing occupancy and costs, and relates these to characteristics of occupants and dwellings such as tenure, family composition of household, dwelling structure, age, income and principal source of income. It also includes value of dwelling estimates, and information on recent home buyers.

The publication includes a feature article on first home buyers in Australia. Appendix 3 foreshadows the release, early in 2008, of an ABS Information Paper on experimental estimates for the imputed rent of owner-occupied dwellings in respect of 2003-04 and 2005-06.

CHANGES IN THIS ISSUE

Changes in this issue which have impacted on the data include:

• a smaller sample of 19,212 persons for 2005-06, compared to 22,315 for 2003-04. For further information refer to paragraph 57 of the Explanatory Notes.
• the housing cost estimates for 2003-04 and 2005-06 now include information on housing costs for tenure types other than owners and renters (such as rent-buy and shared equity arrangements), which were first collected in the 2003-04 survey. In prior issues of this publication housing costs comprised: rates payments for owners; rates and housing loan payments for owners with a mortgage; and rent payments for renters. The housing costs measure is no longer dependent on tenure - it is defined as the sum of rent payments, rates payments, and mortgage or unsecured loan payments if the initial purpose was primarily to buy, add or alter the dwelling.
• additional tables for each state and territory have been included in the data cube released in association with this publication. These tables show information on housing costs, housing costs as a proportion of gross income and selected household characteristics from the years 1994-95 to 2005-06.
• the inclusion of all salary sacrificed amounts in income estimates for 2003-04 and 2005-06. In previous issues estimates have included only some salary sacrificed amounts. For more information see Appendix 4 of Household Income and Income Distribution, Australia, 2005-06 (cat.no.6523.0).
• households with nil or negative income have been excluded from calculations of housing costs as a proportion of gross income.
• the use of more detailed age benchmarks when determining the weights to be allocated to each household in the 2005-06 estimates. For further information refer to paragraph 63 of the Explanatory Notes.
• expanded detail for age groups, splitting a category for those aged 65 years and over into two categories for 65-74 years and 75 years and over.
• the inclusion of gross weekly household income estimates in Table 1.

INQUIRIES

For further information about these and related statistics, contact the National Information and Referral Service on 1300 135 070 or Elise Kennedy on Canberra (02) 6252 5508.