Cairns - South

2016 Census Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people QuickStats
Area code 30602
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people 11,687
Male 46.3%
Female 53.7%
Median age 22
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander households 4,192
Average people per household 3.2
Median weekly household income $994
Median monthly mortgage repayments $1,625
Median weekly rent $250

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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 Cairns - South % Cairns - South Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Aboriginal 5,746 49.2 148,940 79.9 590,062 90.9
Torres Strait Islander 3,565 30.5 21,056 11.3 32,344 5.0
Both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander 2,376 20.3 16,487 8.8 26,767 4.1

For the 2016 Census in Cairns - South, there were 11,687 Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people. Of these, 46.3% were male and 53.7% were female.

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

Age Cairns - South % Cairns - South Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Median age 22 -- 22 -- 23 --
0-4 years 1,386 11.9 21,857 11.7 73,265 11.3
5-14 years 2,878 24.6 44,223 23.7 147,134 22.7
15-24 years 2,111 18.1 35,876 19.2 123,719 19.1
25-34 years 1,528 13.1 24,524 13.2 88,861 13.7
35-44 years 1,394 11.9 20,754 11.1 72,394 11.2
45-54 years 1,105 9.5 18,739 10.0 67,415 10.4
55-64 years 761 6.5 12,308 6.6 45,433 7.0
65 years and over 526 4.5 8,194 4.4 30,952 4.8

In Cairns - South, the median age of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people was 22 years. Of the Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people 36.5% were children aged 0 to 14 years and 4.5% were people aged 65 years and over.

View the data quality statement for Age (AGEP)
Registered marital status
People aged 15 years and over
Cairns - South % Cairns - South Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Married 1,187 16.0 26,266 21.8 105,086 24.5
Separated 335 4.5 5,219 4.3 19,112 4.5
Divorced 420 5.7 7,870 6.5 28,796 6.7
Widowed 263 3.5 3,492 2.9 13,794 3.2
Never married 5,217 70.3 77,564 64.4 261,980 61.1

In Cairns - South, 16.0% of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people were married and 10.2% were either divorced or separated.

View the data quality statement for Registered marital status (MSTP)
Social marital status
People aged 15 years and over
Cairns - South % Cairns - South Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Registered marriage 1,003 15.4 22,449 21.1 86,716 23.1
De facto marriage 1,079 16.5 18,992 17.9 60,051 16.0
Not married 4,440 68.1 64,807 61.0 228,281 60.9

In Cairns - South, 15.4% of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people were in a registered marriage and 16.5% were in a de facto marriage.

View the data quality statement for Social marital status (MDCP)
Education attendance Cairns - South % Cairns - South Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Pre-school 201 4.4 3,597 4.9 16,698 6.4
Primary 1,812 39.8 29,132 39.8 97,859 37.5
Secondary 1,168 25.7 19,602 26.8 65,208 25.0
Technical or further education institution 185 4.1 3,177 4.3 14,227 5.5
University or tertiary institution 211 4.6 4,645 6.3 15,489 5.9
Other 123 2.7 1,750 2.4 5,047 1.9
Not stated 852 18.7 11,357 15.5 46,428 17.8

Of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in Cairns - South, 38.9% were attending an educational institution. Of these, 39.8% were attending a primary school, 25.7% were attending a secondary school and 8.7% 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
Cairns - South % Cairns - South Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Bachelor Degree level and above 342 4.6 6,490 5.4 24,911 5.8
Advanced Diploma and Diploma level 471 6.3 7,156 5.9 23,795 5.5
Certificate level IV 241 3.2 3,808 3.2 14,308 3.3
Certificate level III 1,030 13.9 17,714 14.7 56,625 13.2
Year 12 1,461 19.7 21,285 17.7 59,949 14.0
Year 11 707 9.5 9,701 8.1 34,674 8.1
Year 10 1,186 16.0 21,474 17.8 77,265 18.0
Certificate level II 17 0.2 280 0.2 1,215 0.3
Certificate level I 0 0.0 58 0.0 241 0.1
Year 9 or below 871 11.7 15,282 12.7 64,604 15.1
No educational attainment 72 1.0 920 0.8 4,256 1.0
Not stated 855 11.5 13,484 11.2 56,698 13.2

Of people aged 15 and over in Cairns - South, 19.7% reported having completed Year 12 as their highest level of educational attainment, 17.1% had completed a Certificate III or IV and 6.3% 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 Cairns - South % Cairns - South Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Yumplatok (Torres Strait Creole) 600 5.1 5,742 3.1 6,000 0.9
Kalaw Kawaw Ya/Kalaw Lagaw Ya 110 0.9 912 0.5 939 0.1
Kriol 30 0.3 354 0.2 7,108 1.1
Kuku Yalanji 26 0.2 318 0.2 314 0.0
Guugu Yimidhirr 21 0.2 762 0.4 764 0.1
 null  null  null  null  null  null  null
English only spoken at home 9,400 80.4 161,165 86.4 544,491 83.9

English was the only language spoken at home by 80.4% of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in Cairns - South. Indigenous languages spoken at home include Yumplatok (Torres Strait Creole) 5.1%, Kalaw Kawaw Ya/Kalaw Lagaw Ya 0.9%, Kriol 0.3%, Kuku Yalanji 0.2% and Guugu Yimidhirr 0.2%.

View the data quality statement for Language spoken at home (LANP)
Ancestry, top responses Cairns - South % Cairns - South Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Australian 7,700 46.4 114,137 43.5 399,843 45.0
English 2,214 13.3 41,381 15.8 152,758 17.2
Australian Aboriginal 1,520 9.2 36,062 13.8 140,480 15.8
Torres Strait Islander 1,440 8.7 13,059 5.0 14,948 1.7
Irish 557 3.4 13,013 5.0 45,887 5.2

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 Cairns - South (including those who did not state an ancestry).

For Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in Cairns - South, the most common ancestries were Australian 46.4%, English 13.3%, Australian Aboriginal 9.2%, Torres Strait Islander 8.7% and Irish 3.4%.

View the data quality statement for Ancestry (ANCP)

Employment

Employment
People who reported being in the labour force, aged 15 years and over
Cairns - South % Cairns - South Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Worked full-time 1,653 43.4 30,836 46.8 106,960 48.0
Worked part-time 934 24.5 17,867 27.1 61,049 27.4
Away from work 228 6.0 3,935 6.0 14,143 6.4
Unemployed 998 26.2 13,259 20.1 40,486 18.2
Not in the labour force 3,371 45.4 51,070 42.4 190,132 44.3

There were 3,813 people who reported being in the labour force in the week before Census night in Cairns - South. Of these 43.4% were employed full time, 24.5% were employed part-time and 26.2% 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
Cairns - South % Cairns - South Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Community and Personal Service Workers 526 18.7 8,935 17.0 30,991 17.0
Clerical and Administrative Workers 483 17.2 6,728 12.8 23,174 12.7
Labourers 470 16.7 8,925 17.0 27,814 15.3
Professionals 352 12.5 6,202 11.8 24,339 13.4
Technicians and Trades Workers 305 10.9 7,056 13.4 24,399 13.4
Sales Workers 247 8.8 4,797 9.1 15,791 8.7
Machinery Operators and Drivers 211 7.5 5,130 9.7 16,774 9.2
Managers 133 4.7 3,333 6.3 12,844 7.1

For Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in Cairns - South, the most common occupations were Community and Personal Service Workers 18.7%, Clerical and Administrative Workers 17.2%, Labourers 16.7%, Professionals 12.5%, Technicians and Trades Workers 10.9%, Sales Workers 8.8%, Machinery Operators and Drivers 7.5% and Managers 4.7%.

View the data quality statement for Occupation (OCCP)
Industry of employment, top responses
Employed people aged 15 years and over
Cairns - South % Cairns - South Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Central Government Administration 117 4.3 968 1.8 3,808 2.1
Accommodation 112 4.1 801 1.5 2,427 1.3
Other Social Assistance Services 105 3.9 1,349 2.6 5,302 2.9
Hospitals (except Psychiatric Hospitals) 104 3.8 1,812 3.4 5,542 3.0
Supermarket and Grocery Stores 81 3.0 1,674 3.2 5,555 3.1

For Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in Cairns - South, the most common industries of employment were Central Government Administration 4.3%, Accommodation 4.1%, Other Social Assistance Services 3.9%, Hospitals (except Psychiatric Hospitals) 3.8% and Supermarket and Grocery Stores 3.0%.

View the data quality statement for Industry of employment (INDP)
Median weekly incomes
People aged 15 years and over
Cairns - South % Cairns - South Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Personal 463 -- 453 -- 441 --
Household 994 -- 1,222 -- 1,203 --

The median weekly personal income for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in Cairns - South was $463 and the median weekly household income was $994.

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

Unpaid work
People aged 15 years and over
Cairns - South % Cairns - South Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Did unpaid domestic work (last week) 4,141 55.8 75,703 62.9 263,334 61.4
Cared for child/children (last two weeks) 2,243 30.2 38,265 31.8 136,079 31.7
Provided unpaid assistance to a person with a disability (last two weeks) 918 12.4 15,171 12.6 58,541 13.7
Did voluntary work through an organisation or group (last 12 months) 1,097 14.8 18,300 15.2 63,303 14.8

In Cairns - South, of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, 55.8% did unpaid domestic work in the week before the Census. During the two weeks before the Census, 30.2% provided care for children and 12.4% assisted family members or others due to a disability, long term illness or problems related to old age. In the year before the Census, 14.8% 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
Cairns - South % Cairns - South Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Average number of people per household 3.2 -- 3.3 -- 3.2 --
Average number of persons per bedroom 1.1 -- 1 -- 1 --
Average number of registered motor vehicles per dwelling 1.3 -- 1.7 -- 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 Cairns - South, for dwellings occupied by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, the average household size was 3.2 persons, with 1.1 persons per bedroom and 1.3 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
Cairns - South % Cairns - South Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Median weekly rent 250 -- 270 -- 250 --
Median monthly mortgage repayments 1,625 -- 1,733 -- 1,660 --

In Cairns - South, for dwellings occupied by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, the median weekly rent was $250 and the median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,625.

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
Cairns - South % Cairns - South Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
One family household: Couple family with no children 473 11.3 11,886 15.9 42,536 16.2
One family household: Couple family with children 1,038 24.8 23,609 31.6 80,803 30.7
One family household: One parent family 1,418 33.9 19,239 25.8 67,528 25.7
One family household: Other family 97 2.3 1,624 2.2 5,547 2.1
Multiple family household: Couple family with no children 32 0.8 576 0.8 2,223 0.8
Multiple family household: Couple family with children 59 1.4 1,381 1.8 4,951 1.9
Multiple family household: One parent family 98 2.3 1,702 2.3 5,768 2.2
Multiple family household: Other family 7 0.2 117 0.2 471 0.2
Other household 964 23.0 14,572 19.5 53,195 20.2

In Cairns - South, of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander households, 12.1% were a couple family with no children, 26.2% were a couple family with children and 36.2% 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
Cairns - South % Cairns - South Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Separate house 2,643 63.4 60,179 80.9 211,205 80.7
Semi-detached, row or terrace house, townhouse etc 539 12.9 6,987 9.4 27,017 10.3
Flat or apartment 949 22.7 6,288 8.5 20,580 7.9
Other dwelling 41 1.0 909 1.2 2,897 1.1

In Cairns - South there were 4,192 private dwellings occupied by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people. Where a dwelling type was stated, 63.4% were separate houses, 12.9% were semi-detached, row or terrace houses, townhouses etc, 22.7% were flats or apartments and 1.0% 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
Cairns - South % Cairns - South Queensland % Queensland Australia % Australia
Owned outright 294 7.0 7,727 10.3 32,045 12.2
Owned with a mortgage 706 16.8 17,634 23.6 68,085 25.9
Rented 2,947 70.3 46,197 61.8 150,832 57.3
Other tenure type 20 0.5 409 0.5 1,888 0.7
Tenure type not stated 227 5.4 2,743 3.7 10,182 3.9

In Cairns - South, of dwellings occupied by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, 7.0% were owned outright, 16.8% were owned with a mortgage and 70.3% 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.