On this page:
General Releases
Local Government and ABS, Sep 2010
Measures of Australia's Progress, 2010
Research Paper: An Analysis of Repeat Imprisonment Trends in Australia using Prisoner Census Data from 1994 to 2007, Aug 2010
Research Paper: Measuring Economic Returns to Post-School Education in Australia, Aug 2010
State and Regional Indicators, Victoria


GENERAL RELEASES

Local Government and ABS, Sep 2010 (cat. no. 1376.0) - released 21/09/10

This biannual newsletter contains a range of information on ABS developments in rural and regional statistics of particular interest to users of local government area data, and information about recent and future releases at Local Government Area or Statistical Local Area levels.

The September 2010 issue showcases the recent release of Population by Age and Sex, Regions of Australia, 2009 (cat. no. 3235.0). The article on these data includes LGAs with high distributions of children, working age population, and people aged 65 years and over and also looks at the median age and sex ratio for LGAs.

Other articles include examples of how you can use the National Regional Profile, the release of the NSS Data Quality Online tool, and an update on what's happening in Local Government Finance.

To find out more, please visit the publication.

Measures of Australia's Progress, 2010 (cat. no. 1370.0) - released 15/09/10

Measures of Australia's Progress (MAP) is designed to help Australians address the question, 'Is life in Australia getting better?'. The publication provides a digestible selection of statistical evidence in answer to this question. Australians can use this evidence to form their own view of how our country is progressing.

In addressing this concept, MAP 2010 examines whether or not Australia is progressing by assessing a number of factors: the state of our environment, the health of our economy, and a variety of areas of individual and societal wellbeing.

How has Australia progressed?

• Health: During the past decade Australia's health improved - children born in 2009 were expected to live two to three years longer than those born in 1999.
• Education and training: During the past 10 years, the Australian population became more educated - between 1999 and 2009 the proportion of people with a vocational or higher education qualification rose from 49% to 63%.
• Work: Despite the recent economic downturn, Australia's annual average unemployment rate was lower in 2009 (5.6%) than in 1999 (6.9%).
• National income: Australia experienced significant real income growth during the past decade. Between 1998-99 and 2008-09, real net national disposable income per capita grew by 2.6% a year.
• National wealth: National wealth, as measured in Australia's balance sheet, grew over the last decade. Real national net worth per capita increased by about 0.9% a year between June 1999 and June 2009.
• Household economic wellbeing: In the decade to 2007-08, the real average household income of low income Australians grew by 41%.

Where can Australia improve?

• Biodiversity: There's been a decline in Australia's biodiversity over the past decade with the number of threatened animals increasing by 37%.
• Atmosphere: Australia's total net greenhouse gas emissions in 2008 were 16% higher than they were in 1998.

For discussion on changes over time, the context for these changes, and changes across different groups of Australians, please visit the publication.

This edition of MAP also presents a feature article on the future directions of MAP and an interactive blog where you can provide feedback and contribute to the discussion on how we assess whether life in Australia really is getting better.
Research Paper: An Analysis of Repeat Imprisonment Trends in Australia using Prisoner Census Data from 1994 to 2007, Aug 2010 (cat. no. 1351.0.55.031) - released 30/08/10

Reducing the number of prisoners who are repeatedly imprisoned is one of the goals of any correctional system. However, while a period of imprisonment may deter some people from re-offending, in others it may foster further criminal behaviour.

This research paper presents the results of a study based on a longitudinal dataset constructed from 14 successive Prisoner Censuses between 1994 and 2007 to follow, over time, two cohorts of people who were 'released' from prison (where 'release' is a proxy measure derived from the absence of a prisoner's record in a subsequent Prisoner Census). This paper expands on an earlier study by the Australian Bureau of Statistics by using logistic regression models to examine the factors associated with repeat imprisonment and assess whether or not the propensity for reimprisonment has increased over time. This paper also examines trends in criminal career development using descriptive methods, looking at patterns of specialisation, and of movements from one type of offence to another.

The study finds that reimprisonment is strongly associated with being young, being Indigenous, or having been previously imprisoned (that is, being a prisoner who had already served time in prison). In all jurisdictions except Queensland, the rate of reimprisonment in recent years was higher than in the mid-1990s.

To find out more, please visit the publication.
Research Paper: Measuring Economic Returns to Post-School Education in Australia, Aug 2010 (cat. no. 1351.0.55.032) - released 30/08/10

Using the rich data provided by the 1981-2006 six waves of the full Australian Census, this paper estimates the rates of return to post-school education in Australia, with a focus on bachelor degrees. Both the internal rate of return method and Mincer’s human capital earnings function method are applied.

Measuring the economic returns to education is useful for education policy settings and an important factor in determining schooling activities of individuals and their educational attainment.

The expected private rates of return from investment in bachelor degrees increased over time for males, from 13.1 percent in 1981 to 19.6 percent in 2001, and then dropped to 15.3 percent in 2006; the range was 18.0 percent to 17.3 percent for females over the same period.

To find out more, please visit the publication.
State and Regional Indicators, Victoria (cat. no. 1367.2) - quarterly

State and Regional Indicators, Victoria (SRIV) is a quarterly publication that contains recently released statistical information about Victoria and its regions. Data is sourced from ABS and non-ABS collections. It provides measures according to a triple bottom line of economic, social and environment elements.

The June 2010 issue of SRIV includes:

• Feature Article: Water and Energy Efficient Elements of Households in Older and Newer Dwellings
• Spotlight On: Short Term Overseas Visitor Arrivals, Victoria 2009
• Spotlight On: Population Ageing in Victoria

A number of regular sections, for example Population, Price Indexes, and Agriculture, also provide recent Victorian-level data. We encourage you to explore this publication and the range of statistics it offers.

The next issue of SRIV is due for release on 19 November 2010.

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