Greater Melbourne

2016 Census Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people QuickStats
Area code 2GMEL
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people 24,072
Male 49.6%
Female 50.4%
Median age 24
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander households 12,516
Average people per household 3
Median weekly household income $1,433
Median monthly mortgage repayments $1,733
Median weekly rent $321

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People

demographics & education | cultural & language diversity | employment

Demographics & education

People tables are based on a person's place of usual residence on Census night

People Greater Melbourne % Greater Melbourne Victoria % Victoria Australia % Australia
Aboriginal 22,312 92.7 44,590 93.3 590,062 90.9
Torres Strait Islander 1,151 4.8 2,022 4.2 32,344 5.0
Both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander 609 2.5 1,175 2.5 26,767 4.1

For the 2016 Census in Greater Melbourne, there were 24,072 Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people. Of these, 49.6% were male and 50.4% were female.

View the data quality statements for: Place of Usual Residence (PURP) Indigenous status (INGP)

Age Greater Melbourne % Greater Melbourne Victoria % Victoria Australia % Australia
Median age 24 -- 23 -- 23 --
0-4 years 2,507 10.4 5,476 11.5 73,265 11.3
5-14 years 4,844 20.1 10,414 21.8 147,134 22.7
15-24 years 4,683 19.5 9,073 19.0 123,719 19.1
25-34 years 3,645 15.2 6,539 13.7 88,861 13.7
35-44 years 2,874 11.9 5,239 11.0 72,394 11.2
45-54 years 2,630 10.9 5,067 10.6 67,415 10.4
55-64 years 1,668 6.9 3,472 7.3 45,433 7.0
65 years and over 1,208 5.0 2,518 5.3 30,952 4.8

In Greater Melbourne, the median age of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people was 24 years. Of the Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people 30.6% were children aged 0 to 14 years and 5.0% were people aged 65 years and over.

View the data quality statement for Age (AGEP)
Registered marital status
People aged 15 years and over
Greater Melbourne % Greater Melbourne Victoria % Victoria Australia % Australia
Married 4,132 24.7 7,613 23.9 105,086 24.5
Separated 744 4.5 1,556 4.9 19,112 4.5
Divorced 1,368 8.2 2,642 8.3 28,796 6.7
Widowed 451 2.7 943 3.0 13,794 3.2
Never married 10,020 59.9 19,145 60.0 261,980 61.1

In Greater Melbourne, 24.7% of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people were married and 12.6% were either divorced or separated.

View the data quality statement for Registered marital status (MSTP)
Social marital status
People aged 15 years and over
Greater Melbourne % Greater Melbourne Victoria % Victoria Australia % Australia
Registered marriage 3,671 24.2 6,729 23.6 86,716 23.1
De facto marriage 2,118 14.0 4,079 14.3 60,051 16.0
Not married 9,357 61.8 17,744 62.1 228,281 60.9

In Greater Melbourne, 24.2% of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people were in a registered marriage and 14.0% were in a de facto marriage.

View the data quality statement for Social marital status (MDCP)
Education attendance Greater Melbourne % Greater Melbourne Victoria % Victoria Australia % Australia
Pre-school 648 6.7 1,388 7.1 16,698 6.4
Primary 3,219 33.5 6,935 35.5 97,859 37.5
Secondary 2,343 24.4 4,828 24.7 65,208 25.0
Technical or further education institution 634 6.6 1,215 6.2 14,227 5.5
University or tertiary institution 1,176 12.2 1,679 8.6 15,489 5.9
Other 295 3.1 567 2.9 5,047 1.9
Not stated 1,306 13.6 2,940 15.0 46,428 17.8

Of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in Greater Melbourne, 40.0% were attending an educational institution. Of these, 33.5% were attending a primary school, 24.4% were attending a secondary school and 18.8% were attending a tertiary or technical institution.

View the data quality statement for Educational Institution Attendee Status (TYSTAP)
Level of highest educational attainment
People aged 15 years and over
Greater Melbourne % Greater Melbourne Victoria % Victoria Australia % Australia
Bachelor Degree level and above 2,007 12.0 2,929 9.2 24,911 5.8
Advanced Diploma and Diploma level 1,463 8.7 2,433 7.6 23,795 5.5
Certificate level IV 829 5.0 1,471 4.6 14,308 3.3
Certificate level III 2,430 14.5 4,581 14.4 56,625 13.2
Year 12 2,609 15.6 4,285 13.4 59,949 14.0
Year 11 1,303 7.8 2,661 8.3 34,674 8.1
Year 10 2,034 12.2 4,289 13.4 77,265 18.0
Certificate level II 34 0.2 97 0.3 1,215 0.3
Certificate level I 5 0.0 13 0.0 241 0.1
Year 9 or below 1,974 11.8 4,628 14.5 64,604 15.1
No educational attainment 135 0.8 267 0.8 4,256 1.0
Not stated 1,495 8.9 3,461 10.8 56,698 13.2

Of people aged 15 and over in Greater Melbourne, 15.6% reported having completed Year 12 as their highest level of educational attainment, 19.5% had completed a Certificate III or IV and 8.7% had completed an Advanced Diploma or Diploma.

View the data quality statement for Level of highest educational attainment (HEAP)

Cultural & language diversity

Australian Indigenous language, top responses Greater Melbourne % Greater Melbourne Victoria % Victoria Australia % Australia
Aboriginal English, so described 17 0.1 28 0.1 625 0.1
Yumplatok (Torres Strait Creole) 16 0.1 19 0.0 6,000 0.9
Yorta Yorta 15 0.1 52 0.1 52 0.0
Nyungar 14 0.1 21 0.0 443 0.1
Wiradjuri 10 0.0 19 0.0 432 0.1
 null  null  null  null  null  null  null
English only spoken at home 22,180 92.2 44,375 92.9 544,491 83.9

English was the only language spoken at home by 92.2% of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in Greater Melbourne. Indigenous languages spoken at home include Aboriginal English, so described 0.1%, Yumplatok (Torres Strait Creole) 0.1%, Yorta Yorta 0.1%, Nyungar 0.1% and Wiradjuri 0.0%.

View the data quality statement for Language spoken at home (LANP)
Ancestry, top responses Greater Melbourne % Greater Melbourne Victoria % Victoria Australia % Australia
Australian 15,818 43.8 32,409 46.6 399,843 45.0
English 7,092 19.6 13,647 19.6 152,758 17.2
Australian Aboriginal 3,610 10.0 6,416 9.2 140,480 15.8
Irish 2,836 7.8 5,041 7.2 45,887 5.2
Scottish 1,694 4.7 3,222 4.6 30,843 3.5

Respondents had the option of reporting up to two ancestries on their Census form, and this is captured by the Ancestry Multi Response (ANCP) variable used in this table. Therefore, the total responses count will not equal the persons count for this area. Calculated percentages represent a proportion of all responses from people in Greater Melbourne (including those who did not state an ancestry).

For Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in Greater Melbourne, the most common ancestries were Australian 43.8%, English 19.6%, Australian Aboriginal 10.0%, Irish 7.8% and Scottish 4.7%.

View the data quality statement for Ancestry (ANCP)

Employment

Employment
People who reported being in the labour force, aged 15 years and over
Greater Melbourne % Greater Melbourne Victoria % Victoria Australia % Australia
Worked full-time 5,498 53.8 8,941 50.0 106,960 48.0
Worked part-time 2,929 28.7 5,297 29.6 61,049 27.4
Away from work 585 5.7 1,134 6.3 14,143 6.4
Unemployed 1,200 11.8 2,502 14.0 40,486 18.2
Not in the labour force 6,120 36.6 13,086 41.0 190,132 44.3

There were 10,212 people who reported being in the labour force in the week before Census night in Greater Melbourne. Of these 53.8% were employed full time, 28.7% were employed part-time and 11.8% were unemployed.

The ABS Labour Force Survey provides the official estimates of Australia's unemployment rate. More information about Census and labour force status is provided in Understanding the Census and Census Data.

For information on the Community Development Programme (CDP) please refer to the Census Data Dictionary. CDP data is available in TableBuilder.

View the data quality statement for Labour force status (LFSP)
Occupation, top responses
Employed people aged 15 years and over
Greater Melbourne % Greater Melbourne Victoria % Victoria Australia % Australia
Professionals 1,574 17.5 2,391 15.6 24,339 13.4
Community and Personal Service Workers 1,316 14.6 2,459 16.0 30,991 17.0
Technicians and Trades Workers 1,308 14.5 2,166 14.1 24,399 13.4
Clerical and Administrative Workers 1,261 14.0 1,931 12.6 23,174 12.7
Labourers 902 10.0 1,970 12.8 27,814 15.3
Sales Workers 852 9.4 1,447 9.4 15,791 8.7
Managers 824 9.1 1,357 8.8 12,844 7.1
Machinery Operators and Drivers 662 7.3 1,117 7.3 16,774 9.2

For Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in Greater Melbourne, the most common occupations were Professionals 17.5%, Community and Personal Service Workers 14.6%, Technicians and Trades Workers 14.5%, Clerical and Administrative Workers 14.0%, Labourers 10.0%, Sales Workers 9.4%, Managers 9.1% and Machinery Operators and Drivers 7.3%.

View the data quality statement for Occupation (OCCP)
Industry of employment, top responses
Employed people aged 15 years and over
Greater Melbourne % Greater Melbourne Victoria % Victoria Australia % Australia
Supermarket and Grocery Stores 260 2.9 481 3.2 5,555 3.1
Hospitals (except Psychiatric Hospitals) 234 2.6 461 3.0 5,542 3.0
State Government Administration 220 2.5 327 2.1 4,176 2.3
Higher Education 219 2.5 297 1.9 1,885 1.0
Takeaway Food Services 218 2.4 415 2.7 4,469 2.5

For Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in Greater Melbourne, the most common industries of employment were Supermarket and Grocery Stores 2.9%, Hospitals (except Psychiatric Hospitals) 2.6%, State Government Administration 2.5%, Higher Education 2.5% and Takeaway Food Services 2.4%.

View the data quality statement for Industry of employment (INDP)
Median weekly incomes
People aged 15 years and over
Greater Melbourne % Greater Melbourne Victoria % Victoria Australia % Australia
Personal 544 -- 479 -- 441 --
Household 1,433 -- 1,200 -- 1,203 --

The median weekly personal income for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in Greater Melbourne was $544 and the median weekly household income was $1,433.

View the data quality statements for: Total personal income (INCP) Total household income (HIND)

Unpaid work
People aged 15 years and over
Greater Melbourne % Greater Melbourne Victoria % Victoria Australia % Australia
Did unpaid domestic work (last week) 10,915 65.3 20,093 63.0 263,334 61.4
Cared for child/children (last two weeks) 4,831 28.9 9,408 29.5 136,079 31.7
Provided unpaid assistance to a person with a disability (last two weeks) 2,285 13.7 4,560 14.3 58,541 13.7
Did voluntary work through an organisation or group (last 12 months) 3,178 19.0 5,878 18.4 63,303 14.8

In Greater Melbourne, of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, 65.3% did unpaid domestic work in the week before the Census. During the two weeks before the Census, 28.9% provided care for children and 13.7% assisted family members or others due to a disability, long term illness or problems related to old age. In the year before the Census, 19.0% of people did voluntary work through an organisation or a group.

View the data quality statements for: Unpaid domestic work (DOMP) Unpaid child care (CHCAREP) Unpaid assistance (UNCAREP) Voluntary work (VOLWP)

Dwellings

dwelling characteristics | dwelling structure

Dwelling characteristics

Dwelling tables exclude visitor only and other non-classifiable households

Dwelling characteristics
Occupied private dwellings where at least one person was Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
Greater Melbourne % Greater Melbourne Victoria % Victoria Australia % Australia
Average number of people per household 3 -- 3 -- 3.2 --
Average number of persons per bedroom 1 -- 1 -- 1 --
Average number of registered motor vehicles per dwelling 1.8 -- 1.8 -- 1.7 --

There has been change in methodology used to calculate the average number of persons per bedroom. To compare the time series for average number of persons per bedroom please refer to Understanding the Census and Census Data

In Greater Melbourne, for dwellings occupied by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, the average household size was 3 persons, with 1 persons per bedroom and 1.8 registered motor vehicles per dwelling.

View the data quality statements for: Number of Bedrooms in Private Dwelling (BEDD) Household composition (HHCD) Indigenous household Indicator (INGDWTD)

Housing costs
Occupied private dwellings where at least one person was Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
Greater Melbourne % Greater Melbourne Victoria % Victoria Australia % Australia
Median weekly rent 321 -- 261 -- 250 --
Median monthly mortgage repayments 1,733 -- 1,517 -- 1,660 --

In Greater Melbourne, for dwellings occupied by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, the median weekly rent was $321 and the median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,733.

View the data quality statements for: Rent weekly payments (RNTD) Mortgage monthly repayments (MRED) Indigenous household Indicator (INGDWTD)

Family household composition
Counts the types of families within family households at the dwelling level
Greater Melbourne % Greater Melbourne Victoria % Victoria Australia % Australia
One family household: Couple family with no children 2,210 17.7 4,037 17.0 42,536 16.2
One family household: Couple family with children 3,722 29.7 6,960 29.3 80,803 30.7
One family household: One parent family 2,872 23.0 6,066 25.5 67,528 25.7
One family household: Other family 253 2.0 448 1.9 5,547 2.1
Multiple family household: Couple family with no children 80 0.6 146 0.6 2,223 0.8
Multiple family household: Couple family with children 161 1.3 245 1.0 4,951 1.9
Multiple family household: One parent family 219 1.8 353 1.5 5,768 2.2
Multiple family household: Other family 8 0.1 17 0.1 471 0.2
Other household 2,986 23.9 5,500 23.1 53,195 20.2

In Greater Melbourne, of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander households, 18.3% were a couple family with no children, 31.0% were a couple family with children and 24.7% were a one parent family.

In multiple family households, only the family composition of the primary family is recorded. Other household includes lone person households and group households.

View the data quality statement for Family Household Composition, dwelling level (HCFMD)

Dwelling structure

Dwelling structure
Occupied private dwellings where at least one person was Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
Greater Melbourne % Greater Melbourne Victoria % Victoria Australia % Australia
Separate house 9,084 72.8 18,993 80.2 211,205 80.7
Semi-detached, row or terrace house, townhouse etc 1,870 15.0 2,661 11.2 27,017 10.3
Flat or apartment 1,445 11.6 1,847 7.8 20,580 7.9
Other dwelling 75 0.6 176 0.7 2,897 1.1

In Greater Melbourne there were 12,516 private dwellings occupied by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people. Where a dwelling type was stated, 72.8% were separate houses, 15.0% were semi-detached, row or terrace houses, townhouses etc, 11.6% were flats or apartments and 0.6% were other dwellings.

View the data quality statement for Dwelling structure (STRD)
Tenure
Occupied private dwellings where at least one person was Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
Greater Melbourne % Greater Melbourne Victoria % Victoria Australia % Australia
Owned outright 1,743 13.9 3,379 14.2 32,045 12.2
Owned with a mortgage 3,765 30.1 6,916 29.1 68,085 25.9
Rented 6,417 51.3 12,300 51.7 150,832 57.3
Other tenure type 99 0.8 188 0.8 1,888 0.7
Tenure type not stated 489 3.9 986 4.1 10,182 3.9

In Greater Melbourne, of dwellings occupied by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, 13.9% were owned outright, 30.1% were owned with a mortgage and 51.3% were rented.

View the data quality statement for Tenure type (TEND)

Small random adjustments have been made to all cell values to protect the confidentiality of data. These adjustments may cause the sum of rows or columns to differ by small amounts from the table totals. For further information, go to the User Guide for QuickStats.

Data reported for Australia and Other Territories now includes Norfolk Island, following an amendment to the Acts Interpretation Act, 1901. Because Norfolk Island has not previously been included in the Census, any 2011 benchmarks will not include Norfolk Island.