TRANSPORT


OVERVIEW

This chapter provides information on various aspects of transport collected in the 2008 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey (NATSISS), including:

• Getting places;
• Ownership and access to motor vehicles;
• Availability and use of transport (public and private); and
• Possession of a driver's licence.

GETTING PLACES

People aged 15 years and over were asked if they were able to get to places they need to go. The term 'places need to go' includes the following types of locations:

• work;
• school;
• the shops;
• government services;
• health services and hospitals; or
• anywhere else a person considers they need to go on a daily basis.

If a person could get to places, they were asked if they had ever had problems getting to places they need to go. If a person could not get to places or they never had problems getting to places, they were skipped to questions about access to motor vehicles. People who had problems at sometime in their lifetime were asked if these problems occurred:

• often; or
• sometimes.

People who reported they never go out or were housebound were not asked any further questions about transport and were skipped to the next survey topic.


ACCESS TO MOTOR VEHICLES

People aged 15 years and over were asked about their access to motor vehicles. Motor vehicles include:

• all cars, including company/work cars and station wagons;
• trucks;
• utilities;
• vans;
• motorbikes, mopeds and motor scooters; and
• motorised bicycles.

Caravans, horse floats, boats and trailers are not included. These questions refer to 'access' only and not whether the vehicle is or has been used. People were asked to only report having access to a vehicle if it was registered.

People were asked if there are any cars (or 4WDs or trucks in remote areas) that they could use when they want to. The aim of this question was to determine whether people had access to a motor vehicle for day-to-day activities. In some instances however, a person may have said they had access to a vehicle, but they were unable to drive. They were able to use the vehicle when they want to because someone else could drive it for them.

People who said they could not use any motor vehicles when they want to were asked if they knew how to drive. If a person knew how to drive (or was learning to drive), they were asked if there were any cars (or 4WDs or trucks) that they could use if it was an emergency.

If a person could not access a vehicle when they want to nor in an emergency, it may have been because they did not have a driver's licence. Further information on possession of a driver's licence is provided later in this chapter.

People who had access to a motor vehicle were asked who owned the vehicle/s they had access to, both on a day-to-day basis and in an emergency. More than one response was allowed for each. Response categories included:

• household member (including self for day-to-day use);
• non-household family member;
• non-household boyfriend/girlfriend/partner (not included for emergency use);
• neighbour;
• the local council;
• health clinic;
• school;
• community/charity organisation;
• general community;
• company;
• government;
• church (not included for emergency use); and
• other.

Working motor vehicles

Information on the number of working motor vehicles owned by household members was provided by the household spokesperson. Ownership of a motor vehicle includes any motor vehicles that are being paid off and excludes any company/work cars that need to be returned at the end of employment. If any of the selected people aged 15 years and over said that they can access a motor vehicle which is owned by a household member, either on a day-to-day basis or in an emergency, the household spokesperson was asked how many cars (or 4WDs or trucks), that work, they or any members of the household own.

If none of the selected people aged 15 years and over said that they can access a motor vehicle owned by a household member, the household spokesperson was asked if they, or anyone else in the household, own any cars (or 4WDs or trucks) that work, and if so, how many. The number of cars (or 4WDs or trucks) for the household was output numerically as a value ranging from 0 to 97, or a not known response may have been recorded.


TRANSPORT USE

Information was collected on the use of transport in the two weeks prior to interview. People aged 15 years and over were asked to identify all the ways they got from place to place in the two weeks prior to interview. More than one response was allowed. Response categories included:

• bus - regular public;
• bus - regular community;
• bus - irregular or chartered;
• train;
• tram/light rail;
• boat/ferry - regular public;
• boat/ferry - regular community;
• boat/ferry - irregular or chartered;
• car/4wd/truck (as passenger);
• car/4wd/truck (as driver);
• taxi;
• motorcycle/motorised scooter;
• bicycle;
• walk;
• regular aircraft service;
• chartered aircraft; and
• other.

People who did not use some form of public transport in the two weeks prior to interview were asked about the availability of public transport in their area. Public transport includes transport that travels on fixed routes at regular times and is available to anybody. Public transport does not include services that are available on demand, such as taxis. People who did not report using any of the following, were considered to have not used public transport:

• a regular public or community bus, boat or ferry; or
• a train or tram/light rail.

People were asked if they have public transport (or a regular community transport service, for remote areas) available in their area. People who had public transport available in their area, but did not use it in the two weeks prior to interview, were asked their main reason for not using public transport, based on the following:

• prefer to use own transport or walk;
• no service available at right/convenient time;
• no services available to take you where you need to go;
• takes too long;
• concerned about own personal safety;
• costs too much;
• treated badly because Aboriginal/Torres Strait Islander;
• health reasons; or
• other.

DRIVER'S LICENCE

People aged 18 years and over who:

• did not report that they never go out/are housebound; and
• could access a car when they want to; or
• knew how to drive

were asked if they have a current 'full' or 'P plate' driver's licence. If not, they were asked if they have a learner driver's licence. People who did not have any of these types of driver's licences (current full, P plate or learner) were asked if they had ever had one. People who did not have a 'full' or 'P plate' driver's licence were also asked their main reason for not having one. Response categories included:

• recently got learner's licence (only for people with learner driver's licence);
• no support available for learning;
• nowhere nearby to get one from;
• cost of licence too much;
• afraid to go to do test;
• health reasons;
• too old;
• unable to read the test;
• licence was taken away;
• lost it somewhere;
• afraid of driving;
• afraid of being, or expect to be, treated badly because Aboriginal/Torres Strait Islander;
• have fines;
• need to renew;
• don't need one/don't have access to a car;
• not interested/don't want one; or
• other.

COMPARISON TO THE 2002 NATSISS

Information on transport was collected in the 2002 NATSISS for people aged 15 years and over. There are some differences between the 2002 and 2008 surveys which affect data comparability. In 2002 people were asked if they had access to any motor vehicles, but there was no distinction between day-to-day and emergency use. In 2002 people who had access to any motor vehicles were not asked who owned the vehicle/s they had access to. The number of motor vehicles owned by household members was also not collected in 2002.

In 2002 the information collected about modes of transport used in the two weeks prior to interview was less detailed than that collected in 2008. In 2002 the response categories for all modes of transport used were:

• bus;
• train (non-community areas only);
• tram/light rail (non-community areas only);
• boat/ferry;
• taxi;
• car/4wd (as a driver);
• car/4wd (as a passenger);
• motorcycle/motorised scooter;
• bicycle;
• walk; and
• other.

People who did not report using either a bus, train, tram/light rail or boat/ferry were not asked directly whether public transport was available in their area, however, they were asked what was the main reason for not using public transport. Response categories included:

• prefer to use own transport or walk;
• no service available at all;
• no service available at right/convenient time;
• takes too long;
• concerned about own personal safety;
• cost considerations;
• racial discrimination; and
• other.

There were no questions about possession of a driver's licence in 2002.

More detailed information on the 2002 survey data is provided in the output data item list, available from the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey: Data Reference Package, 2002 (cat. no. 4714.0.55.002).