Western Australian Statistical Indicators (cat. no. 1367.5)
The June 2003 issue of Western Australian Statistical Indicators (cat. no. 1376.5) includes an analysis of recent movements in key State economic and labour market data, and two feature articles.
Population measures: a case study. This article aims to demonstrate the application of census and other population measures using the Goldfields region of Western Australia as a case study. The article covers both the resident and working populations of the Goldfields region.
The study highlights the dominance of the Mining industry in this region which has created a working population that includes a large number of fly in/fly out and temporary contract workers. Some of these workers do not report as ‘usual residents’ of the region in the Census even though they may have spent more than six months of the census year living in that region. Data from the study showed that more than 40% of the working population in the local government areas of Laverton, Leonora and Wiluna, indicated they were usual residents of Perth.
Place of employment data from the Census provides a more complete picture of the working population of each area at a particular point in time. The working population includes people counted outside the area on Census night and some ‘non-usual residents’ who were counted inside. Data on the working population can add significantly to our understanding of other census based population measures.
The second feature article, Salinity and land management on Western Australian farms, details the extent of land in Western Australia showing signs of salinity, strategies used by farmers, to manage and prevent salinity, and factors affecting land management change.
In recent years salinity has emerged as a growing environmental issue because of the threat it poses to agriculture; to roads, houses and infrastructure; to our drinking water; and to biodiversity.
For further information, contact Andy Separovic by email: andy.separovic@abs.gov.au or phone (08) 9360 5943.
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