It’s 2019! Is Census data outdated?
About this time each Census cycle we sometimes get the question ‘Isn’t the data from the last Census a bit outdated?’. In this piece, we discuss why – in Census terms – 2016 isn’t...
Category: Australian Census
ABS to remove ‘number of cars’ from 2021 Census (and other topic changes)
The ABS will be removing the ‘number of motor vehicles’ topic from the 2021 Census, along with a number of other changes that will be significant to people in the local government sector, including...
Your top requests: questions for the 2021 Census
Do you use data on disability, volunteering, travel-to-work/education, long-term health conditions, domestic work or car ownership? You might be interested in this wrap-up of the submissions we’ve sent to the ABS, after we asked you...
Census 2021 consultation – call for topic suggestions
Is the Census missing something? If you follow our blog, it’s likely you read and enjoy the fruits of the Census. But do you think the Census is missing something? Is there a part...
What questions should be asked on the next Census?
It seems like only yesterday the 2016 Census was happening, and indeed the final topics from the Census are still being released. But the ABS has just announced that consultation for the next Census...
Who are Australia’s homeless?
The topic of Homelessness is one of the most frequently raised during our briefings to councils and communities across the country. On March 14th, the ABS released ‘Estimating Homelessness‘. This eagerly anticipated publication comes...
Taking a closer look at South Australia’s Indigenous age profile
Background One of. id’s blog readers recently contacted .id requesting further information regarding the age profile of younger persons across Australia and South Australia and the State’s Indigenous communities. This is an important subject...
How do Australians get to work?
The 2016 Census contains data on how people got to work on Census day. This is one of only two transport-related topics in the Census (the other one being ‘Number of motor vehicles’), and...
Australia’s population continuing to grow rapidly
Highlights from the latest population figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics Victoria continues to be the fastest growing state in Australia Net overseas migration at the highest levels since 2009 Interstate migration...
Census Crystal Ball Gazing – so how did I do? Part 2
While the 2016 Census was still in the field, I made 12 predictions for the Census results. I do this every Census, as working with councils around Australia, I get a feel for some...
Exploring census data: the importance of geographic scale
The ABS Census is a critical resource that offers us invaluable insights into our communities and how they are changing. More than just a set of numbers and tables, census data tells us a...
How our SAFi population forecasts performed against State Government
Forecasting the future population is a highly complex undertaking that incorporates a large number of inputs, detailed underlying assumptions, sophisticated modelling, and a huge amount of knowledge and experience. We often get asked about the...
Tips and tricks to understanding Census data: how to visualise a story
Let’s face it, analysing and managing Census data can be a complex beast. At .id, we invest a huge amount of time understanding and applying Census data, so we thought we’d share some of...
Early insights from the second-release Census data
Second release data released by the ABS October 23rd marked the second release of 2016 Census data by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. While about 75% of Census topics came out in June (and...
Big picture: the Australia community profile
What does Australia look like in 2016, and what’s changed? If you’ve used our free tools before, chances are you’ve used a community profile. Usually, we build these tools for individual local government areas,...
Understanding places: How to tell a demographic story
Australia is a diverse country which varies greatly from state to state, suburb to suburb and even between neighbouring neighbourhoods. One way of understanding a place and the people who live there is to...
Forecasting the future: what we learned from the 2016 Census
When developing population forecasts, we rely on data sources such as the Census to build our knowledge of how Australia’s towns, cities and remote communities are growing and changing over time. We use this...
How close did we get? Comparing .id’s Small Area Forecast information with population estimates
As population forecasters, we eagerly awaited the release of detailed Census data, as it provides an important input into our Small Area Forecast information (SAFi) population forecasts. When the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) releases...
Where are school-aged kids located? Top 10 growing and slowing suburbs
Between the 2011 and 2016 Censuses, there was an increase of 174,600 school aged kids (5-17 years) across Australia – the equivalent of approximately 300 schools! Where is the largest growth in school aged...
Regional cities – are they growing or slowing?
It’s no secret that Australia’s largest cities are recording rapid rates of population growth. This presents challenges for infrastructure provision, transport and demand for services. How do urban planners respond to these challenges? Is...
