4704.0 - The Health and Welfare of Australia's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, 2005  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 14/10/2005   
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Contents >> Chapter 5: Disability and Ageing >> Disability, Education and Economic Participation

Level of education

Among Indigenous people aged 18 years or over, those with a disability or long-term health condition had completed fewer years of education, on average, than people without a disability. In non-remote areas, 52% of people with a disability or long-term health condition had only completed Year 9 or below, compared with 28% of people without a disability or long-term health condition. In remote areas the corresponding proportions were 64% and 43% (table 5.11).


Indigenous people with a profound or severe core activity limitation in remote areas were the least likely to have progressed beyond Year 9, with 70% completing school education to this level or below.

5.11 Highest year of school completed by disability status, Indigenous persons aged 18 years or over(a) - 2002

Non-remote
Remote
Educational attainment
Profound or severe core activity limitation
Total with a disability or long-term health condition
No disability or long-term health condition
Total
Profound or severe core activity limitation
Total with a disability or long-term health condition
No disability or long-term health condition
Total

Year 12 %
*12.1
11.8
25.6
20.3
*6.2
8.3
17.0
13.7
Year 10 or 11 %
33.4
36.0
46.9
42.8
*23.3
28.2
39.7
35.3
Year 9 or below(b) %
54.5
52.2
27.5
37.0
70.5
63.5
43.3
50.9
Total %
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
Total(a) no.
14 000
69 300
111 600
180 900
6 700
26 100
42 900
69 100

* estimate has a relative standard error of 25% to 50% and should be used with caution
(a) Excludes persons who were still at school.
(b) Includes persons who never attended school.
ABS, 2002 NATSISS


A greater proportion of Indigenous people aged 25-64 years with a disability or long-term health condition in non-remote areas had a non-school qualification (36%) than those in remote areas (23%). In remote areas, only 15% of people with a profound or severe core activity limitation had a non-school qualification. In non-remote areas the proportion of people with a non-school qualification was less strongly associated with disability status (ABS, 2002 NATSISS).


Employment

Disability status was strongly associated with employment status for Indigenous people aged 18-64 years (table 5.12). People with a disability or long-term health condition were much less likely to be employed, especially full-time, and less likely to be in the labour force, than people without a disability or long-term health condition. This was true for both males and females.


People with a profound or severe core activity limitation were the least likely to be employed, with only 30% of males and 23% of females being employed either full-time or part-time, compared with 70% of males and 49% of females with no disability or long-term health condition. Most people with a profound or severe core activity limitation were not in the labour force: 56% of males and 72% of females.

5.12 Labour force status by disability status, Indigenous persons aged 18-64 years - 2002

Males
Females
Profound or severe core activity limitation
Total with a disability or long-term health condition
No disability or long-term health condition
Total
Profound or severe core activity limitation
Total with a disability or long-term health condition
No disability or long-term health condition
Total

Employed full-time %
*10.8
25.0
45.9
38.2
*4.2
12.6
21.9
18.5
Employed part-time %
*19.0
19.3
23.8
22.2
18.2
18.8
27.5
24.4
Total employed %
29.8
44.4
69.8
60.5
22.5
31.5
49.4
43.0
Total unemployed %
*14.3
15.5
16.3
16.0
*5.5
10.2
10.4
10.3
Not in the labour force %
56.0
40.1
13.9
23.5
72.0
58.3
40.2
46.7
Total %
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
Total no.
7 700
41 600
71 700
113 400
9 800
44 900
80 300
125 200

* estimate has a relative standard error of 25% to 50% and should be used with caution
ABS, 2002 NATSISS


Income and financial stress

Disability status for Indigenous people has a strong association with their principal source of income, amount of household income and indicators of financial stress.


Overall, about 65% of Indigenous people with a disability or long-term health condition, including three-quarters (76%) of Indigenous people with a profound or severe core activity limitation, were receiving a government pension or allowance as their principal source of income, compared with 42% of people without a disability or long-term health condition (table 5.13). Indigenous people without a disability or long-term health condition were correspondingly more likely to have ‘other wages and salary’, or to a lesser extent, Community Development Employment Projects scheme (CDEP) payments as their principal source of income.

5.13 Principal source of personal income, Indigenous persons aged 15 years or over - 2002

Profound or severe core activity limitation
Total with a disability or long-term health condition
No disability or long-term health condition
Total

Received personal income
CDEP %
4.8
8.3
11.5
10.3
Other wages or salary %
10.4
18.1
35.3
29.0
Government cash pensions and allowances %
76.4
64.6
42.0
50.2
Other sources of income %
*3.6
3.4
2.9
3.1
Total who received income %
95.6
95.2
92.3
93.3
Did not receive personal income %
*4.4
4.8
7.7
6.7
Total %
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
Total no.
21 800
102 900
179 300
282 200

* estimate has a relative standard error of 25% to 50% and should be used with caution
ABS, 2002 NATSISS


Indigenous people with a disability or long-term health condition had household incomes lower than those without a disability or long-term health condition (graph 5.14).

5.14 Household income quintile by disability status, Indigenous persons aged 15 years or over - 2002
Graph: Household income quintile by disability status, Indigenous persons aged 15 years or over—2002



Indigenous people with a disability or long-term health condition were more likely to experience financial stress than Indigenous people without a disability (table 5.15).


Indigenous people with a disability or long-term health condition were more likely than those without a disability to be living in a household that: was unable to raise $2,000 within a week for something important; had experienced days without money in the last 12 months; or had days without money in the last two weeks.

5.15 Indicators of financial stress(a), Indigenous persons aged 15 years or over - 2002

Non-remote
Remote
Profound or severe core activity limitation
Total with a disability or long-term health condition
No disability or long-term health condition
Profound or severe core activity limitation
Total with a disability or long-term health condition
No disability or long-term health condition

Unable to raise $2,000 within a week for something important %
58.7
57.0
41.7
81.3
77.2
70.7
Had days without money in last 12 months %
60.6
52.2
40.1
49.5
49.3
37.2
Had days without money in last 2 weeks %
47.7
38.7
27.3
41.2
39.8
28.7
Total no.
14 900
75 600
129 500
6 900
27 300
49 800

(a) Information provided by a household spokesperson on behalf of all household members.
ABS, 2002 NATSISS




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