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Housing data sources and definitions


HOUSING: DATA SOURCES

HOUSING: DATA SOURCES
	Indicators using this source
Data source	National indicators	State indicators
ABS Australian Housing Survey 1999.	9-10	9-10
ABS Building Activity Survey, September Quarter 2003.	-	2-3
ABS Consumer Price Index, Australia.	19	19
ABS Housing Finance for Owner Occupation, Australia.	26, 28	20, 25, 27-28
ABS 1994 and 1999 Australian Housing Surveys;
and Surveys of Income and Housing Costs.	4-8, 11-14, 17-18	-
ABS Surveys of Income and Housing Costs.	15-16	4-8, 11-18
Australian Demographic Statistics, September Quarter 2003
(ABS cat. no. 3101.0).	1	1
Building Activity, Australia, December Quarter 2003 (ABS cat. no. 8752.0).	2-3	-
Department of Family and Community Services administrative data.	33-35	32-34
House Price Indexes: Eight Capital Cities, December Quarter 2003
(ABS cat. no. 6416.0).	22-23	21-22
Housing Finance for Owner Occupation, Australia, February 2003
(ABS cat. no. 5609.0).	21, 25, 27, 29	24, 26
Producer Price Indexes, Australia, March 2004 (ABS cat. no. 6427.0).	24	23
Reserve Bank of Australia, Indicator Lending Rates - F5, <http://www.rba.gov.au/
Statistics/Bulletin/F05hist.xls>, accessed 9 February 2004.	20	-
Steering Committee for the Review of Commonwealth/State Service Provision,
Report on Government Services 2003 <http://www.pc.gov.au/
gsp/reports/rogs/2004/partgattachments.pdf>, accessed 6 February 2004.	30-32	29-31

Alterations and additions

all approved structural and non-structural changes which are integral to the functional and structural design of the dwelling, e.g. garages, carports, pergolas, reroofing, recladding etc., but excluding swimming pools, ongoing repairs, landscaping, and maintenance and home improvements not involving building work.
Reference: Housing Finance for Owner Occupation, Australia (ABS cat. no. 5609.0).

the number of public rental applicants (households) accommodated in a year.
Reference: Australian Institute of Heath and Welfare Commonwealth-State Housing Agreement national data reports 2002-03, Public rental housing.

the number of applicants (households) waiting for public rental accommodation on 30 June.
Reference: Reference: Australian Institute of Heath and Welfare Commonwealth-State Housing Agreement national data reports 2002-03, Public rental housing.

the average number of bedrooms in occupied private dwellings.

the average number of usual residents in occupied private dwellings.

measures the bedroom requirements of a household by specifying that: there should be no more than two people per bedroom; children less than five years of age of different sexes may reasonably share a bedroom; children five years and over of opposite sex should not share a bedroom; children less than 18 years of age and of the same sex may reasonably share a bedroom; and household members 18 years and over should have a separate bedroom, as should parents or couples.
Reference: Australian Housing Survey - Housing Characteristics, Costs and Conditions (ABS cat. no. 4182.0).

equivalising adjusts actual income to take account of the different needs of households of different size and composition. There are economic advantages associated with living with others, because household resources, especially housing, can be shared. The equivalence scale used to obtain equivalised incomes is that used in studies by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and is referred to as the 'modified OECD scale'. The scale gives a weight of 1.0 to the first adult in the household, and for each additional adult (persons aged 15 years and over) a weight of 0.5, and for each child a weight of 0.3. For each household, the weights for household members are added together to form the household weight. The total household disposable income is then divided by the household weight to give an income that a lone person household would need for a similar standard of living.
Reference: Household Income and Income Distribution, Australia (ABS cat. no. 6523.0).

the price of detached residential dwellings on their own block of land, regardless of age (i.e. including new houses sold as a house/land package as well as established houses) expressed as an index, with base year 1989-90=100.0. Price changes therefore relate to changes in the total price of dwelling and land.
Reference: House Price Indexes: Eight Capital Cities (ABS cat. no. 6416.0).

firm offers to provide finance for owner-occupation or alterations and additions which have been, or are normally expected to be, accepted. Commitments to provide housing finance to employees and commitments accepted and cancelled in the same month are included. Owner-occupied dwellings being purchased can be either established (completed for more than 12 months or previously occupied) or new (completed for less than 12 months with the borrower being the first occupant).
Reference: Housing Finance for Owner Occupation, Australia (ABS cat. no. 5609.0).

first home buyers are persons entering the home ownership market for the first time. Their average loan is calculated by dividing the total value of lending commitments per month by the total number of dwellings financed per month.
Reference: Housing Finance for Owner Occupation, Australia (ABS cat. no. 5609.0).

includes all self-contained dwellings in blocks of flats, units or apartments. These dwellings do not have their own private grounds and usually share a common entrance foyer or stairwell. This category includes houses converted into flats and flats attached to houses such as granny flats. A house with a granny flat attached is regarded as a separate house.
Reference: Australian Housing Survey - Housing Characteristics, Costs and Conditions (ABS cat. no. 4182.0).

a group of related or unrelated people who usually live in the same dwelling and make common provision for food and other essentials of living; or a lone person who makes provision for his or her own food and other essentials of living without combining with any other person.
Reference: Australian Housing Survey - Housing Characteristics, Costs and Conditions (ABS cat. no. 4182.0).

people in housing stress are those with household incomes between the bottom 10% and bottom 40% of the distribution of equivalised disposable household income, and living in households where housing costs are more than 30% of the household's gross income.
Reference: Housing Occupancy and Costs, Australia (ABS cat. no. 4130.0).

households living in dwellings that do not have enough bedrooms to meet the requirements of community standards. See Canadian National Occupancy Standard.
Reference: Australian Housing Survey - Housing Characteristics, Costs and Conditions (ABS cat. no. 4182.0).

households which have at least two bedrooms above that required by the Canadian National Occupancy Standard.
Reference: Australian Housing Survey - Housing Characteristics, Costs and Conditions (ABS cat. no. 4182.0).

the financial year annual average of the interest rate applicable on the last working day of each month to standard variable rate loans for owner-occupation extended by large bank housing lenders. It is the predominant or representative rate of major banks, although some banks may quote higher or lower rates.
Reference: Reserve Bank of Australia, Bulletin.

families or individuals who pay rent or similar payments for private accommodation and receive a rental assistance payment from the government. Rental assistance may be payable to pensioners without children, families receiving above the minimum family payment and people already receiving a government allowance or benefit.
Reference: Centrelink.

prices of selected materials used in the construction of dwellings expressed as an index, with base year 1989-90=100.0. Data for national total are a weighted average of the six state capital cities.
Reference: Price Index of Materials Used in House Building, Six State Capital Cities (ABS cat. no. 6408.0).

average rental assistance received fortnightly by eligible social security customers who pay rent in the private rental market.
Reference: Department of Family and Community Services.

the average rent paid fortnightly by social security customers who receive rental assistance.
Reference: Department of Family and Community Services.

the premises occupied by a household. For population estimation purposes, the total number of occupied private dwellings is treated as being equal to the total number of households of the usually resident population.
Reference: Australian Demographic Statistics (ABS cat. no. 3101.0).

a household where the reference person or partner owes an amount on a mortgage or loan secured against the dwelling. Includes persons who have an outstanding mortgage amount but who are not making any payments.
Reference: Housing Occupancy and Costs, Australia (ABS cat. no. 4130.055.001).

a household where the reference person or partner does not owe any amount on a mortgage or loan secured against the dwelling. Includes persons who have repaid a mortgage or loan but have not formally discharged the associated mortgage.
Reference: Housing Occupancy and Costs, Australia (ABS cat. no. 4130.055.001).

when building activity has progressed to the stage where the building can fulfil its intended function. The ABS regards buildings as completed when notified as such by the respondents (builders) to the survey.
Reference: Building Activity, Australia (ABS cat. no. 8752.0).

the price of dwellings available for construction on a client's block of land expressed as an index, with base year 1989-90=100.0. Price changes therefore relate only to the price of the dwelling (excluding land).
Reference: House Price Indexes: Eight Capital Cities (ABS cat. no. 6416.0).

those rental dwellings held by State and Territory Housing Authorities.
Reference: Department of Family and Community Services, Housing Assistance Act 1996 Annual Report.

the average rent paid by private households for privately and government owned rental properties, expressed as an index, with base year 1989-90=100.0.
Reference: Consumer Price Index, Australia (ABS cat. no. 6401.0).

a household paying rent to a landlord who is: a real estate agent; a parent or other relative not in the same household; or another person not in the same household, to reside in the dwelling.
Reference: Australian Housing Survey - Housing Characteristics, Costs and Conditions (ABS cat. no. 4182.0).

a household paying rent to a state or territory housing authority or trust to reside in the dwelling.
Reference: Australian Housing Survey - Housing Characteristics, Costs and Conditions (ABS cat. no. 4182.0).

occupied private dwellings with their own private grounds and no dwelling above or below. A key feature is that they are attached in some structural way to one or more dwellings, or separated from neighbouring dwellings by less than half a metre.
Reference: Australian Housing Survey - Housing Characteristics, Costs and Conditions (ABS cat. no. 4182.0).

occupied private dwellings which are self-contained and separated from other structures by a space of at least half a metre to allow access on all sides. Includes houses with an attached flat.
Reference: Australian Housing Survey - Housing Characteristics, Costs and Conditions (ABS cat. no. 4182.0).