INDIGENOUS STATUS AS A SELF-REPORTED MEASURE
This article looks at patterns in peoples’ identification as being of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander origin in the 2006-2011-2016, three wave Australian Census Longitudinal Dataset (ACLD). It complements existing work on this topic by looking at changes in identification over a 10 year period 1,2,3.
Throughout this article, people who identified as being of Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander or both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander origin are referred to as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander. Changes in identification between Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander or both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander are outside the scope of this article.
In Australia, Indigenous status is a self-reported measure collected through the Standard Indigenous Question (SIQ). This means a person can choose to change how they respond to the SIQ. There are a number of reasons a person’s Indigenous status may change, such as:
- Whether Indigenous status is provided directly by the individual or someone else on their behalf1,2,4. This may apply in the Census, as the person filling out a Census form in a family or household may be different in each Census year
- Perceived effects of identifying in certain contexts5,6. For example, a person may identify differently in the Census to how they might identify with their local doctor or hospital
- Perceived purpose and relevance of Indigenous status being collected5
- Having adequate information about why Indigenous status is being asked5
- The way Indigenous status is asked5
- The shifting or fluid nature of cultural identity7
- Exposure to negative experiences such as racism and discrimination (historical or current)6,8,9
- Changes in personal circumstances such as entering into a de facto relationship or marriage10,11
- Public discourse about issues impacting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities8,12
In the three wave ACLD, there are 27 different combinations of Indigenous status a person can have over three Census periods (see explanatory note 1). For example, a person may have identified as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander in 2006 and 2011 but not in 2016.
Based on a person’s Indigenous status in the 2016 ACLD, this article explores the demographic characteristics of people who have ever identified as being an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander person in 2006, 2011 or 2016. This includes people who were:
- Consistently identified: people who identified as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander in 2006, 2011 and 2016.
- Newly identified in 2011: people who identified as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander in 2016 and 2011.
- Newly identified in 2016: people who identified as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander in 2016 only.
- Previously identified: people who identified as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander in 2006 and/or 2011 only.
- Identified in 2016 and 2006: people who identified as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander in 2016 and 2006 only.
Changing Indigenous status in the three wave ACLD(a)(b)
(a) Based on Indigenous status in 2016.
(b) For further detail, see Explanatory note 1 and Table 1 in the data cube titled 'ACLD 2006-2011-2016 Identification as an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander person in the Census over time'.
The data excludes people aged 0-9 years in 2016 as they do not have a 2006 Census record to be linked to their 2011 or 2016 Census record in the three wave ACLD.
REFERENCES
1 Biddle, N, & Crawford, H 2015, The changing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population: Evidence from the 2006–11 Australian Census Longitudinal Dataset, Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research, Australian National University, Canberra.
2 Biddle, N, & Markham, F 2018, Indigenous identification change between 2011 and 2016: evidence from the Australian Census Longitudinal Dataset, Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research, Australian National University, Canberra.
3 ABS 2018, Census of Population and Housing: Understanding the Increase in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Counts, 2016, cat. no. 2077.0, ABS, Canberra.
4 Australian Institute of Health and Welfare and ABS 2012, National best practice guidelines for data linkage activities relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. AIHW cat. no. IHW 74. Canberra: AIHW.
5 ABS 2013, Information Paper: Perspectives on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Identification in Selected Data Collection Contexts, 2012 cat. no. 4726.0, ABS, Canberra.
6 Kelaher, M, Parry, A, Day, S, Paradies, Y, Lawlor, J & Solomon, L 2010, Improving the Identification of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People in Mainstream General Practice, The Lowitja Institute, Melbourne.
7 ABS 2014, Information Paper: Review of the Indigenous Status Standard, 2014, cat. no. 4733.0, ABS, Canberra.
8 Dudgeon, P, Wright, M, Paradies, Y, Garvey, D & Walker, I 2010, The social, cultural and historical context of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, in Working together: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mental health and wellbeing principles and practice, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Canberra, A. C. T.
9 Kickett-Tucker, C.S 2009, Moorn (Black)? Djardak (White)? How come I don’t fit in Mum? Exploring the racial identity of Australian Aboriginal children and youth, Health Sociology Review 18(1), pp. 119-136.
10 New South Wales Aboriginal Education Consultative Group (NSW AEGC) 2011, Aboriginality and Identity: Perspectives, Practices and Policy. Sydney: NSW AECG Inc.
11 Heard, G, Birrel, l, B & Khoo, S-E 2009, Intermarriage between Indigenous and non- Indigenous Australians, People and Place, 17(1) pp. 1-14.
12 Harris, M, Carlson, B & Poata-Smith, E T A 2013, Indigenous Identities and the Politics of Authenticity in Harris, M, Nakata, M and Carson, B (eds.) The Politics of Identity: Emerging Indigeneity, pp. 1-9, UTSePress, Broadway: NSW.
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