The 2006 Australian Census Analytic Program (ACAP) is a collaborative venture between the ABS and some of Australia's foremost academics and social researchers.

ACAP publications cover a range of themes; combining detailed analysis of census data with information from other sources. While the census provides extensive information about Australian society, combining it with other data sources greatly increases the potential for valuable research and analysis.

This issue-driven research goes beyond the usual summary analysis of census data and contains important but previously unrevealed information about major trends and issues. Findings are geared towards practical policy development rather than a purely academic audience, and will contribute to the policy agenda over the next decade.

Each publication released under the Australian Census Analytic Program is available for download free of charge.

PUBLICATIONS RELEASED UNDER THE 2006 ACAP PROGRAM

Beyond Life Expectancy (ASSA Occasional Paper 2010: CS#5)
May 2010
Author: Diane Gibson

For over 20 years, the popular press has been trumpeting the pending and imminent disaster that is 'the ageing of the Australian population'. We are told that our hospitals are filling up with 'sick old people', the demand for aged care services will drain resources from all other areas of social service, and the need to pay pensions (or repay investments in superannuation) will bring the nation to its knees.

This 2006 Census Series paper is available for free download from the Occasional Papers archive on the website of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia.

Living alone in Australia: Trends in sole living and characteristics of those who live alone (ASSA Occasional Paper 2009: CS#4)
November 2009
Authors: David de Vaus and Sue Richardson

Since the 1960s we have experienced major changes in the way people live and the way in which they build their families and households. Adults are marrying and having children later than in the past, if they do these things at all; families have become less stable, smaller and more diverse. A great deal is now known about these changes but a parallel change, the steady rise in one person households, is barely understood.

This 2006 Census Series paper is available for free download from the Occasional Papers archive on the website of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia.

Intermarriage in Australia: Patterns by birthplace, ancestry, religion and indigenous status
July 2009
Authors: Genevieve Heard, Siew-Ean Khoo and Bob Birrell

Birthplace, ancestry, religion and indigenous status are traditionally strong determinants of partner choice. Where marriage occurs across group boundaries, it is therefore of much interest, particularly in a culturally diverse nation such as Australia. A key indicator of social integration, intermarriage in Australia reflects the erosion of longstanding social and cultural divisions between indigenous and non-indigenous people, between Catholics and Protestants and those of other faiths, and between those of Anglo-Celtic descent and those of other ethnic backgrounds. This report shows that the barriers to intermarriage in Australia are ever weaker, and explores the implications of this trend for our society.

This 2006 Census Series paper is available for free download from the Centre for Population and Urban Research at Monash University.

Counting the Homeless 2006
September 2008
Authors: Chris Chamberlain and David MacKenzie

This research attempts to establish the extent of homelessness in Australia at the time of the 2006 Census, using Census data complemented by data from other surveys of youth and users of support services. It also provides information on the change in the size and composition of the homeless population over time, and draws on earlier research using 1996 and 2001 Census data.

Lives of diversity: Indigenous Australia (ASSA Occasional Paper 2008/4: CS#2)
April 2008
Author: Dr Maggie Walter, University of Tasmania

This analysis finds that Indigenous Australians are still firmly embedded in disadvantage and marginalised from core life chances, and that strategies for ‘closing the gap’ will need to be far reaching, rigorously thought out and responsive. The report compares Indigenous experiences in three locations - Maningrida, Dubbo and Perth - to see how location affects housing, education and employment options for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people.

This 2006 Census Series paper is available for free download from the Occasional Papers archive on the website of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia.

Housing: Mirror and mould for Australian society (ASSA Occasional Paper 2008/5: CS#3)
March 2008
Author: Professor Andrew Beer

It's not just those on low incomes who are feeling squeezed in the housing market - the 2006 Census shows that almost 500,000 high income households are spending more than 30% of their income on housing, putting growing numbers of well-off households in positions of housing vulnerability. This report looks at recent trends in housing, including affordability, house size and stay-at-home children.

This 2006 Census Series paper is available for free download from the Occasional Papers archive on the website of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia.

Creative Australia: The arts and culture in Australian work and leisure (ASSA Occasional Paper 2008/3: CS#1)
March 2008
Author: Professor David Throsby, Macquarie University

The stereotypical Australian leisure pursuit is sport; but this report finds that art and culture are important too. In 2006 there were over 150,000 creative workers in Australia, which is about 9% of all professionals and 2%of the labour force. The report finds that as people's leisure time and disposable incomes increase, so too does the likelihood of their involvement in arts and culture activities.

This 2006 Census Series paper is available for free download from the Occasional Papers archive on the website of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia.