This section considers the question 'where do we live?' in two ways: by examining some differences in the populations living in cities compared to regional and remote areas; and by focusing on the tenure arrangements of individual households.
Most of us live in coastal cities
Australia has an uneven population distribution. In June 2010, almost two-thirds (64%) of the population lived in capital cities, including 21% in Sydney alone. Population density ranged from less than one person per square kilometre in remote areas to more than 1,000 people per square kilometre in some city suburbs.
Indigenous Australians are more likely than non-Indigenous Australians to live in remote areas. According to the 2006 Census, one in 40 Australians (2.5%) identified as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islanders, but in areas classified as Remote or Very Remote this was as high as one in four (26%). Although Indigenous Australians are more likely than other Australians to live in remote areas, the majority live in cities and large regional towns.
Population density, June 2010
A generation gap in regional areas
The population age profile is generally younger in capital cities than in other areas. This is largely due to a relatively high proportion of people aged in their 20s and 30s living in capital cities: in 2010, almost one in three (31%) people living in capital cities were aged 20–39, compared to one in four (25%) people living in other areas. The concentration of education, employment and other opportunities in cities is likely to be a driving factor behind young adults moving out of regional areas.
Population age structure within and outside capital cities, 2010
Fast facts
In 2010 there were 102 females living in the capital cities for every 100 males, compared to 99 females for every 100 males outside the capitals.
Australia's welfare Chapter 1
Disability is more common in regional areas
While the majority of people with disability (2.6 million) lived in Major cities in 2009, almost 1 million lived in Inner regional areas and 436,000 lived in Outer regional, Remote and Very remote areas.
After taking different population age structures into account, people aged under 65 living outside Major cities were more likely to have a disability than people living in Major cities. However, there were no significant differences in disability rates among older people.
Population with disability, 2009
Note: Rates are age-standardised.
Fast facts
Mortality rates also increased with remoteness. In 2007, people living in regional or remote areas were 1.1–1.3 times as likely to die as those living in Major cities, after differences due to age are taken into account.
Australia's welfare Chapter 5
Most of us own our home
In 2009–10 there were around 8.4 million households in Australia. More than two-thirds (69%) were owner-occupiers, while one in four (24%) rented from a private landlord and 4% lived in housing provided by a state or territory housing authority ('public housing'). A small percentage of people lived in households with other types of tenure, such as rent-free housing.
Between 1994–95 and 2009–10 the overall percentage of households that were owner-occupiers changed only slightly, falling from 71% to 69%. However, within this group there was a shift away from outright ownership, as the percentage of households paying off a mortgage increased. Over the same period, rental from a private landlord became more common while the public housing share fell slightly.
Trends in selected housing tenures
Fast facts
Private rental is the most common form of tenure for young adult households.
From the mid-30s to mid-50s people are most likely to have a mortgage, while the majority of older people own their home outright.
Australia's welfare Chapter 2
Less public housing, more community housing
In 2010 there were more than 400,000 dwellings managed by social housing programs. The largest of these was public rental housing, which accounted for around four in five social housing dwellings. Since 2004 the number of dwellings in public rental housing has fallen. On the other hand, there has been an increase in housing provided to low- and moderate-income or special needs households managed by community-based organisations ('mainstream community housing').
Around one-third of all Indigenous households in Australia were living in social housing in June 2010—roughly 60,000 households. Indigenous-specific programs accommodated half of these households, but Indigenous households also accounted for 7–8% of households in mainstream programs.
Number of social housing dwellings
Fast facts
Almost 250,000 applicants were waiting for allocation to, or transfer within, public rental housing, mainstream community housing, or state owned and managed Indigenous housing on 30 June 2010.
Australia's welfare Chapter 9
People with special needs dominate social housing recipients
Around 60–65% of households that were newly allocated to public rental housing or mainstream community housing in 2009–10 were classified as 'special needs households'. The most common type of special need household was one that included a person with a disability. Other special needs categories were Indigenous households, and households whose main tenant was aged under 25, or 75 or over. Much of the newly allocated housing went to households that fell into multiple special needs categories.
Households that are considered to be in greatest need are given priority access to social housing. There are a number of situations under which a household may be categorised as being in greatest need, including homelessness or risk of homelessness. In 2009–10, 75% of households newly allocated to public rental housing and 63% of those newly allocated to mainstream community housing were classified as being in greatest need.
Newly allocated housing in 2009–10
Fast facts
More than half of all households in public rental housing in June 2010 were single adults, and almost one in five were one-parent families. These groups were over-represented in public housing compared to all renting households in Australia (public and private).
Australia's welfare Chapter 9