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Australian society is changing ACCORDING to the 2006 Census of Population and Housing, Australia's population is becoming older and family structures are changing.There have also been some substantial changes in home ownership, with Australian households more likely to be purchasing their own home, compared to the 1996 Census. The median age of Australians was 37 years in 2006, compared to 34 years in 1996. Since 1996, the proportion of the population aged 65 years and over has increased from 12.1 per cent to 13.3 per cent, and the proportion of children aged 0-14 years has decreased from 21.6 per cent to 19.8 per cent. Females outnumbered males in 2006 - for every 100 females there were 97 males. People identifying as being of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander origins increased from 352,970 (2 per cent of the population) to 455,026 (2.3 per cent) from 1996 to 2006. (See fact sheet Census shows increase in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population for further information). In 2006, the proportion of people reported as being born overseas remained unchanged since 1996 (22 per cent). English was the only language spoken at home for 78 per cent of the population, a decrease from 82 per cent in 1996. The most common languages spoken at home other than English in 2006 were Italian (1.6 per cent) and Greek (1.3 per cent). Since 1996, these proportions have declined slightly (from 2.1 per cent and 1.5 per cent respectively). Of the top ten languages spoken at home, the biggest increase from 1996 to 2006 was for Mandarin, up from 0.5 per cent to 1.1 per cent. Of the 7,596,185 households counted in 2006, 67 per cent were family households, a decrease from 71 per cent in 1996. From 1996 to 2006, lone person households increased from 22 per cent to 23 per cent. Group households decreased over this time from 4.1 per cent to 3.7 per cent. The total number of families counted in 2006 was 5,219,168, an increase of 12 per cent (from 4,655,919) since 1996. From 1996 to 2006, couple families with children decreased from 50 per cent to 45 per cent of all families. Over this time, couple families without children increased from 34 per cent to 37 per cent and one parent families increased from 14.5 per cent to 15.8 per cent of families. The median household income range in 2006 was $1000-$1199 per week. This is higher than the 1996 median of $600-$699 per week; in 2006 dollars this was $778-$906 per week. The number of dwellings recorded in the 2006 Census was 8,446,726, an increase of 1,251,557 (17.4 per cent). Of these, 90 per cent were occupied private dwellings, 9.8 per cent were unoccupied private dwellings and 0.2 per cent were non-private dwellings. In 2006, 33 per cent of occupied private dwellings were fully owned, 32 per cent were being purchased, and 27 per cent were being rented. The biggest change since 1996 has been the rise in the proportion of dwellings being purchased, up from 25 per cent. This has been countered by a decline in outright home ownership, down from 41 per cent. In 2006, the median monthly housing loan repayment of the 2,448,212 occupied private dwellings being purchased was $1300, up from $780 ($1011 in 2006 dollars) since 1996. The median weekly rent of the 2,063,947 occupied private dwellings being rented was $190. |
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