Census suggests we’re still a lucky country, but different

It’s a fascinating time capsule. Taken late in the Covid-19 pandemic, on August 10 last year, Australia’s 2021 census by the Australian Bureau of Statistics has a big story to reveal. Social change tends to move at a glacial pace. But as the millennials gradually take over from the baby boomers as Australia’ s dominant population cohort, the nation is bigger, richer, more diverse demographically and more secular than before. After the rigours and financial fallout of a pandemic, several indicators pointed to the strength of the economy, an achievement for which the Coalition, which had served almost eight years in office on census night, is entitled to claim credit. The previous five years were revealed as a period of booming prosperity for middle Australia, in which the average Australian’s income increased by 20 per cent from 2016 to 2021 – or at twice the pace of living costs. Median weekly income lifted from $662 in 2016 to $805, equivalent to $41,900 a year.

Taken before the current climb in interest rates, the census showed households experienced a drop in mortgage and rental stress across the preceding five years. Three-quarters of those with a mortgage were spending 30 per cent or less of their total income on repayments. Despite low vacancies and rising rents, 58.7 per cent of tenants were in the same position. Home ownership rates were steady, just under two-thirds, halting a decline since the 1970s. For a nation recovering from a once-in-a-century pandemic, Australia was well placed.

Despite the material pluses, many Australians are not well, with alarming numbers of people, young and old, reporting mental health conditions. One in 10 people believed they had such a condition, the census found. Arthritis and asthma were the two other most prevalent chronic illnesses. Almost two-thirds of people aged over 65 reported at least one long-term health condition. But so did one in five young people aged 15 to 34. Almost twice as many women reported suffering a long-term mental health condition compared with men, with chronic mental distress at its highest levels among women in their mid to late 20s. The data also lays bare the extent of the mental health crisis among children and teenagers. More than one in six teenagers aged 15 to 19 reported suffering ongoing mental distress, while parents noted it was also a problem in boys and girls under five. Because it is the first time the census has collected information on health conditions, the data will assist planning and service delivery.

Mental illness rates were found to be higher among Indigenous people, with about 13 per cent of the Indigenous population suffering from a mental health condition, which included anxiety and depression. The data also found Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living with disabilities were more likely to experience racism than those without a disability.

On the positive side, the census identified a strong increase in the number of Indigenous people over the age of 65. Their ranks more than doubled from 21,000 in 2011 to 47,677 last year, suggesting more Indigenous Australians were living longer. Accurate data will be vital to closing the gap.

The census also revealed a significant shift in education patterns, with increasing numbers of students opting for hands-on vocational training rather than university. At a time when the nation has a shortage of skilled tradies and demand for apprentices is strong, this is good for the economy’s future skills base. For students better suited to trades training than academic study, it also should be a better use of their time.

The census shows Australia’s challenges. But a nation in which the average citizen – on paper at least – is reportedly a woman aged 30 to 39, part of a couple with children, in a capital city area and with an average weekly family income of $3000 or more has much to be grateful for.