2. Demographic profiles
A demographic profile of each community was compiled using data from the Census of Population and Housing, 2001. The key purpose was to provide contextual information about the social and economic characteristics of CfC sites, and the demographic characteristics of children aged under five and their families. This provides a backdrop that helps to understand the different contexts in which CfC have been implemented. The National Evaluation will use this data for understanding the implementation and impact of CfC in each area.
2.1 Method
The profiles draw on customised and publicly available data from the Census of Population and Housing, other Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data and other relevant data. Data was obtained for populations living within the CfC boundaries, as negotiated between the individual CfC sites and FaCSIA. As a result, each CfC site has been defined differently, and site boundaries do not necessarily share the geographic boundaries used in statistical data collections. For example, some sites were defined as one or more suburbs or postcodes and others were defined as one or more Statistical Local Areas or Collection Districts (as defined by the ABS). While data has been tailored for the precise area as far as possible, it should be recognised that statistical areas do not perfectly match service delivery areas. Further, the areas may not perfectly capture children and families who are potential service users. Living within the defined boundaries is not an explicit requirement for service use, so CfC programs can serve some children and families who live outside their boundaries.
The data in the demographic profiles includes information about 0-5 year olds in the CfC site before the CfC initiative began (primarily using 2001 Census data). The data includes information about the families of 0-5 year olds in each site, including family structure, parental unemployment, and mothers' language and English proficiency. Some socio-economic data in the profiles relates to the broader population (not just children 0-5 and their families) including participation in education, educational attainment, birthplace, unemployment rates, motor vehicle ownership, and the SEIFA Index for disadvantage.
The demographic profiles include information about the:
- number 0-5 year olds as a percent of the total population (excluding overseas visitors)
- proportion of children 0-5 who are ATSI
- proportion of children 0-5 attending preschool
- proportion of children 0-5 living in lone parent households
- proportion of children 0-5 living in families with gross incomes of less than $500 per week
- proportion of children 0-5 with mothers who speak English 'not well' or 'not at all'
- proportion of children with one or two parents unemployed
- proportion of households with no motor vehicle
- proportion of persons aged 15 years and over who attained Year 12 or equivalent as highest level of schooling
- proportion of the population born outside main English speaking countries
- proportion of children living in relatively disadvantaged areas (according to SEIFA)
- Rise/decline in proportion of the population who are 0-5 1991-2001
To help Facilitating Partners and Local Evaluators to understand population trends in their community and to plan and target early intervention and prevention initiatives within their communities, reports on each site were distributed to Facilitating Partners. A report for Australia, which provides comparative information, was posted on the Communities and Families Clearinghouse Australia (CAFCA) website (http://www.aifs.gov.au/cafca).
2.2 Results
Demographic data in CfC sites and Australia are summarised in Table 2 and discussed below.
| CfC sites (%) | Australia (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Proportion of population aged 0-5 | 9 | 8 |
| 0-5 year olds who are ATSI | 9 | 4 |
| 0-5 year olds in lone parent households | 21 | 15 |
| 0-5 year olds in families with weekly incomes <$500 | 26 | 18 |
| 0-5 year olds with mothers who speak English 'not well' or 'not at all' | 5 | 3 |
| 0-5 year olds with one or two parents unemployed | 10 | 7 |
| Households with no motor vehicle | 11 | 10 |
| Persons aged 15 years and over who attained Year 12 or equivalent as highest level of schooling | 28 | 38 |
| Persons born outside main English speaking countries | 20 | 20 |
Children in CfC sites
In August 2001, there were 113 695 children aged 0-5 years living in 81 071 families in the areas now covered by CfC.
In the CfC areas, children comprised on average 9% of the population, compared with 8.0% of the population throughout Australia. The sites with the highest proportions of children aged 0-5 were those with large Indigenous populations. In Katherine, 19.9% of the population were aged 0-5, as were 13.6% of the population in East Arnhem and 12.9% of the population in the Palmerston/Tiwi site.
Indigenous children
There were 9780 Indigenous children aged 0 to 5 years in the CfC sites. Indigenous children represented 9% of children aged 0-5 in the sites, compared with 4.0% across Australia. East Arnhem had the highest proportion of children who were Indigenous (73%), followed by Katherine (58%) and East Kimberley (48%). Less than 1% of the 0-5 year old population was Indigenous in Fairfield, Hume/Broadmeadows, Brimbank and Greater Dandenong.
Family type
Three quarters (75%) of children aged 0 to 5 years (84 976 children) counted at home in CfC sites (not visitors) were living in couple families, compared with 82% in Australia as a whole. 23403 children aged 0 to 5 (21%) counted at home in CfC sites were living in sole parent families, compared with 15% across Australia. 5316 children aged 0-5 (or 5%) were living in multifamily arrangements, compared with 3% of children in this age group across Australia.
However, the pattern was different for Indigenous children. A smaller proportion of Indigenous children aged 0-5 were living in sole parent families in CfC sites compared with Australia (27% compared with 29% across Australia) and a larger proportion were living in multi-family households (19% compared to 13%).
The sites with the highest proportions of children 0-5 living in sole parent families included Launceston (35% of children); Kingston-Loganlea (34% of children), and Inala-Ipswich (30% of children). The sites with the lowest proportion of children living in sole parent families were in sites with high proportions of Indigenous children- East Arnhem (3%), West Pilbara (8%) and Katherine (10 %).
Parental unemployment
In 2001, there were 11,470 children aged 0-5 years counted at home in the CfC areas living in families with at least one parent who was unemployed (10%). In contrast, 7% of children aged 0-5 across Australia lived in families with at least one parent unemployed. The sites with the highest proportions of children aged 0-5 years living in families with an unemployed parent (between 14 and 15%) were Kingston/Loganlea, Fairfield, Hume/Broadmeadows, Inala-Ipswich and Mirrabooka. Sites with the lowest proportions of children living in families with an unemployed parent were East Arnhem, West Pilbara and East Kimberley (less than 4% of children 0-5)4.
Family income
In 2001, over a quarter of children aged 0 to 5 years (26%) in CfC sites lived in families with incomes under $500. CfC sites had higher proportions of children in low income families than across Australia, where 18% lived in families with incomes under $500. The sites with the highest proportion of children 0-5 living in families with weekly incomes under $500 were in Hume/Broadmeadows, Inala-Ipswich, Mirrabooka, Launceston, and East Arnhem. The lowest were in West Pilbara (8% of children 0-5 in families earning less than $500 per week) and Mount Isa (13%).
Parental language and English proficiency
In CfC sites, there were 88188 (78%) children 0-5 who had mothers who spoke English only. Only 4540 children (4%) had mothers who spoke other languages and spoke English 'not well' or 'not at all'. The proportion of children aged 0 to 5 years with mothers who spoke English 'not well' or 'not at all' was slightly higher in CfC sites (5%) than across Australia (3%).
Compared with the national average (78%), a higher proportion of children aged 0-5 years in CfC sites had mothers who spoke languages other than English (78% compared to 74%). The largest group of children in CfC sites with mothers who spoke languages other than English were those who spoke Vietnamese (3%); Arabic (2%) and Turkish (1%).
The sites with the lowest proportions of children aged 0-5 with mothers who spoke only English were in Fairfield (21%), Hume/Broadmeadows (29%) and East Arnhem (33%). More than 95% of children in Gladstone, East Gippsland, Bendigo, South East Tasmania and Dubbo/Narromine had mothers who spoke English only.
Cultural diversity in CfC sites
In CfC sites, about the same proportion of the population were born in Australia as for the country as a whole (72% of the population in CfC sites were born in Australia compared with 72% nationally). In CfC sites and in Australia as a whole, the largest groups born outside Australia were born in the United Kingdom and New Zealand.
Twenty percent of people in CfC sites and in Australia as a whole were born outside the main English speaking countries (Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa the United Kingdom and United States). The largest group born outside the main English speaking countries were those born in Italy and Vietnam, in both CfC sites and the country as a whole.
The sites with the highest proportions of the population born outside the main English speaking countries were Fairfield (59%) and Brimbank (50%). Dubbo/Narromine, Bendigo and South East Tasmania each had less than 8% of the population born outside the main English speaking countries.
Educational attainment, persons aged 15 and over
A lower proportion of persons aged 15 and over in CfC sites had completed Year 12 or an equivalent level of schooling than across Australia (28% compared with 38%). The sites with the lowest proportions of the population aged 15 and over who had completed Year 12 or equivalent were South East Tasmania (17%), Burnie (18%), Launceston (20%), Port Augusta (20%) and East Arnhem (21%). The sites with the highest proportion of the population who had completed Year 12 were Inner North Canberra (62%) and Fairfield (35%).
Motor vehicle ownership
A similar proportion of households in CfC sites (11%) had no motor vehicle, compared with the national figure (10%). High proportions of households had no vehicle in East Arnhem (28%) and Katherine (19%). Less than 6% of households had no motor vehicle in Cranbourne, Coomera- Northern Gold Coast and West Pilbara.
Socio-Economic Indices for Areas (SEIFA) Index of Disadvantage
Based on 2001 Census data, the SEIFA Index of Disadvantage includes variables that either reflect or measure disadvantage, such as education, income and occupation, housing, access to the Internet, and Indigeneity. The Indices show relative disadvantage (but do not quantify it).
Indices of Disadvantage were ranked for the Statistical Local Areas that cover the Communities for Children site. Sites could be covered by more than one SLA, or by part (or parts) of an SLA. As shown in Table 3, 23 of the 45 sites are covered by an SLA with a score that placed them in the most disadvantaged 10% of areas in Australia. The sites that contained the lowest ranked SLAs were East Arnhem, East Kimberley, Palmerston / Tiwi, Katherine, Inala-Ipswich and North-West Adelaide (scores all under 800). Fourteen sites had SEIFA scores in the highest 50% of areas in Australia. The sites with SLAs with the highest scores (lowest relative disadvantage) were Inner North Canberra, East Arnhem, North-West Adelaide, Salisbury, Palmerston / Tiwi, East Gippsland, Dubbo / Narromine and Lower Great Southern.
| Had one or more SLA in the lowest 10 percent in Australia | SLA in lowest 10 to 25 percent of areas | SLA in lowest 25 to 50 percent of areas | SLAs in lowest 50 to 75 percent of areas | SLAs in lowest 75 to 90 percent of areas | SLAs in highest 10 of areas in Aust |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bendigo | Bendigo | Armadale | Bendigo | Inner North Canberra | Inner North Canberra |
| Blacktown | Blacktown | Bendigo | Dubbo / Narromine | ||
| Brimbank | Campbelltown | Burnie | East Arnhem | ||
| Burnie | Cranbourne | Cairns | East Gippsland | ||
| Cairns | Dubbo / Narromine | Dubbo / Narromine | Frankston | ||
| Deception Bay | Gladstone | East Gippsland | Inner North Canberra | ||
| East Arnhem | Inala-Ipswich | Frankston | Lower Great Southern | ||
| East Kimberley | Launceston | Gladstone | Nthn Gold Coast (Coomera) | ||
| Fairfield | Lismore | Inner North Canberra | NW Adelaide | ||
| Greater Dandenong | Lower Great Southern | Katherine | Palmerston / Tiwi | ||
| Hume/Broadmeadows | Miller | Launceston | Salisbury | ||
| Inala-Ipswich | Mirrabooka | Lower Great Southern | Swan Hill | ||
| Katherine | Murray Bridge (RC) | Mirrabooka | West Pilbara | ||
| Kingston Loganlea | Murwillumbah | Mt Isa | Wyong | ||
| Kwinana | NW Adelaide | Murray Bridge | |||
| Launceston | Onkaparinga | Murwillumbah | |||
| Murray Bridge | Port Augusta | Nthn Gold Coast (Coomera) |
|||
| NW Adelaide | Raymond Terrace | NW Adelaide | |||
| Onkaparinga | SE Tas | Raymond Terrace | |||
| Palmerston / Tiwi | Shellharbour | Salisbury | |||
| Salisbury | Taree | West Pilbara | |||
| SE Tas | West Townsville | ||||
| West Townsville | Wyong | ||||
| 23 sites | 23 sites | 21 sites | 14 sites | 1 site | 1 site |
Summary
In summary, populations in CfC sites appear more disadvantaged on most of the relevant indicators. More than half of the sites (23) were covered by an SLA (or part thereof) which had a SEIFA score that placed it amongst the most disadvantaged 10 percent of areas in Australia. CfC sites had higher proportions of children aged 0-5 who live in lone parent households than the national average, higher proportions with a parent unemployed, and higher proportions who live in low-income families. Families with children aged 0-5 years in CfC areas were also more culturally diverse. Although the same proportion of the overall population was born outside the main English speaking countries in Australia and in CfC sites, there were higher proportions of children in CfC sites with mothers who don't speak English very well. CfC sites also had higher proportions of children who were Indigenous, compared with Australia as a whole. Populations in CfC areas were also less likely to have attained Year 12 or equivalent levels of qualifications.
4. That there are lower proportions of children living in families with unemployed parents in sites with high Indigenous populations may be because there are high rates of participation in CDEP in Indigenous areas.