Census data have a real impact on the lives of Australians, from determining political representation through the distribution of electorates, to the allocation of government funding.
- Professor of Economics and Public Policy, ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences, Australian National University
There is an ongoing trend of low workforce participation among Indigenous people, research demonstrates eight ways to improve this.
By linking censuses through time or by combining other information with the census, many more important policy questions can be answered than if we used one dataset alone.
We asked our experts to appraise the political and policy performances of the federal cabinet and shadow cabinet.
The Closing the Gap report shows a mix of successes and failures, but early childhood education holds the key to significant progress.
In the latest ANUpoll, most Australians (92%) surveyed responded that they belong to the middle or working class.
Previous research showed that school attendance by Indigenous students is negatively affected by racism towards them. In further research we have found wider school outcomes are also negatively affected.
Opposition leader Bill Shorten told Q&A viewers that Australia is the most unequal it has been in 75 years. Is that statement supported by the research?
Divorce rates are on the decline in Australia, people are marrying and having children later in life, and more of us live alone. Our experts respond to the new report on Australia’s welfare.
If reports are to be believed, both the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) and the federal government are strongly considering moving from a five-year to a ten-year census cycle. This move has been…
Who do you think would do better at school or in the workplace: someone who is smart, but lazy, or someone who is not naturally brilliant but will keep working at a problem until they get it right? Intuitively…
The International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPWD), December 3, is important for commemorating the successes and efforts of the disability rights movement. The theme this year is Sustainable Development…
Do you consider yourself a rational person? For the most part, you probably are. If something hurts, you’ll stop doing it. If you like something, you’ll buy more of it, but you’ll rethink your decision…
High-profile cases of racial discrimination on the sporting field and on public transport capture the media’s attention, but we hear less about racism in our schools. One survey of secondary students across…
Young people who have early ambitions for study and their career are more likely to succeed than those who haven’t thought about life after high school. New research shows having a career or strategic…
The Conversation is running a series, Class in Australia, to identify, illuminate and debate its many manifestations. Here, Nicholas Biddle outlines how students’ low aspirations can lead to poor outcomes…
Australia has elected a Coalition government. So what will this mean for key policy areas? Our experts take a closer look at what’s in store for business, the economy, the environment, the National Broadband…
“Politicians will talk a lot about ‘cost of living pressures’ during this election campaign, even though most people are enjoying living standards that are better than ever. However, a growing group of…
As the Gonski school funding debate heats up again, the political focus so far has been on the big billion dollar figures. In this crowded debate about who’s right or wrong on the numbers, there’s little…
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) recently released a new round of data based on the 2011 census. One part of this latest release that has caught the eye of the media is the 2011 Socio-Economic…
It almost goes without saying, but stable, well-paid employment remains one of the key ways to protect people from poverty and exclusion. And that’s never truer than for our Indigenous population. Aside…
Indigenous communities are devastated when languages are lost. This was the conclusion of the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs last month. The…
The last sitting week of parliament before the winter recess may well be remembered for the historic senate vote made late into the night. This legislation, with bipartisan support, agreed to the extension…
The Occupy movement in the US has brought into sharp focus the level of income inequality that exists in society. For example, in 2009 the top 10% of households in the US had an income that was about 11.5…
AUSTRALIA BY NUMBERS: Today, the Australian Bureau of Statistics released the first batch of its 2011 census data. We’ve asked some of the country’s top demographers and statisticians to crunch the numbers…
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