Occupied private dwellings:
An ‘Occupied’ private dwelling is a private dwelling occupied by one or more people on Census Night. Most often this is a separate house, townhouse, apartment or flat. It can also be an occupied caravan, cabin, tent or boat. The structure of a dwelling can be identified by using the variable Dwelling structure (STRD).
People staying in an Occupied private dwelling on Census Night are provided an online or paper Household form to complete. Household forms collect information about the people staying in the dwelling, their household family structure, and their housing (e.g. number of people and rooms).
The variable Dwelling location (DLOD) can be used to identify occupied private dwellings within the following establishments:
- marinas
- manufactured home estates
- self-contained retirement villages
- caravan/residential parks
- camping grounds
Unoccupied private dwellings:
An ‘Unoccupied’ private dwelling is most often a separate house, townhouse, apartment or flat, with no one staying there on Census Night.
In addition to the above, these Unoccupied private dwellings are also included:
- holiday homes (for owner’s use only or those rented out commercially)
- huts and cabins (unless accommodation for seasonal workers’ quarters)
- newly completed dwellings
- habitable dwellings which are due for demolition or repair
- dwellings to let
Unoccupied private dwellings in caravan or residential parks (such as holiday homes, huts and cabins), and marinas and manufactured home estates are not counted in the Census. The exception to this is the residences of owners, managers or caretakers of the establishment, and unoccupied residences in self-contained retirement villages.
Non-private dwellings (NPDs):
NPDs provide a communal or transitory type of accommodation. These are more likely to be short-stay accommodation and are only counted if occupied on Census Night. NPDs include the following:
- hotels and motels
- guest houses
- prisons
- religious and charitable institutions
- boarding schools
- defence establishments
- hospitals
- other communal dwellings
People in NPDs on Census Night are provided an individual Personal form to complete. Personal forms collect information about the person and their residential status within the establishment, but no information on the dwelling or household family structure.
Only people are counted at NPDs, not rooms, cells, units or beds. If there are long-term owners, managers or caretakers who work and live there, extra Private dwellings (PDs) are added.
Migratory:
People enumerated on an overnight journey by plane, train or bus cannot be allocated a dwelling type. This category exists for data processing and data querying purposes only.
Off-shore:
This includes dwellings which exist on off-shore oil rigs and drilling platforms.
Shipping:
This includes people on ‘vessels’ travelling between ports in Australian waters i.e. ships, cargo vessels, passenger liners, ocean-going passenger or car ferries and dredges. Excluded are foreign-owned cargo vessels and those bound for overseas.