4704.0 - The Health and Welfare of Australia's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, Oct 2010
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 17/02/2011 Final
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This topic provides an overview of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population and where they live. Data presented are from a range of sources and provide context for the detailed health and welfare information presented in other topics in this release. Information presented in this topic includes: ESTIMATED RESIDENT POPULATION At 30 June 2006, the final estimated resident Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population was 517,000 people, or 2.5% of the total Australian population (Endnote 1). The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population is estimated to have increased by 109,800 people since 1996 and is projected to increase to between 640,700 (series A) and 643,800 (series B) people by 2016. Among the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population:
1.1 ESTIMATED RESIDENT POPULATION, by Indigenous status—30 June 2006
Source: ABS 2008, Experimental Estimates of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, June 2006, cat. no. 3238.0.55.001. AGE The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population is relatively young, with a median age of 21.0 years compared with 37.0 years for the non-Indigenous population. This is largely the result of higher fertility and deaths occurring at younger ages among the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population. At 30 June 2006, people aged 65 years and over comprised just 3% of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population compared with 13% of the non-Indigenous population. By contrast, 38% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were under 15 years of age compared with 19% of non-Indigenous people (figure 1.2). 1.2 ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER AND NON-INDIGENOUS POPULATIONS—30 June 2006 Source: ABS 2008, Experimental Estimates of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, June 2006, cat. no. 3238.0.55.001 WHERE ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER PEOPLE LIVE At 30 June 2006, New South Wales had the largest estimated resident population of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians (152,700 people or 30%), followed by Queensland (144,900 people or 28%), while the Australian Capital Territory had the smallest (4,300 people or 1%). The Northern Territory had a higher proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander residents (30%) than any other state or territory. At 30 June 2006:
The Indigenous regions with the largest populations were Sydney (46,900), Brisbane (46,300) and Coffs Harbour (43,800). The Indigenous regions with the highest proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander residents, which were outside major population centres, included the Torres Strait Indigenous Region in Queensland (85%) and the Apatula and Jabiru Indigenous Regions in the Northern Territory (80% and 79% respectively). MOBILITY The mobility data presented here has been taken from the 2006 Census and has been previously published in Population Characteristics, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians (cat. no. 4713.0). The data presents information on the mobility of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people by comparing a person's place of usual residence in 2006 and 2001, as reported in the 2006 Census. Information relating to people who changed their place of usual residence is restricted to people who were aged 5 years and over in 2006 and excludes from the analysis those with no place of usual residence. Analysing changes in usual residence data is one approach to understanding longer term mobility. Short term movements (of less than one year) cannot be determined from Census data and care should be taken in interpreting this mobility data (Endnote 2). In 2006, approximately 57% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 5 years and over were living at the same address as in 2001. Of those living at a different address (and living in Australia), 14% had moved interstate. Between 2001 and 2006, 12% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (aged 5 years and over) had moved between remoteness areas. Major cities, inner regional areas and outer regional areas all attracted a similar number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (between 10,500 and 11,300) and were also the greatest sources of migrants to other areas (approximately 10,000). An overall pattern of migration from more remote areas to less remote areas was observed between 2001 and 2006, with very remote areas having the greatest net loss of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (-1,700) and major cities having the greatest net gain (1,300). This resulted in a net increase for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population in major cities of 1% and a net decrease of 3% in very remote areas (graph 1.3). 1.3 ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER MOVEMENT IN AND OUT OF REMOTENESS AREAS(a)(b)—2001 to 2006
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