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.id community monthly newsletter
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August 2012
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Greetings!
On reading a recent blog posted by .id's blog-meister Glenn, "Pitfalls Presenting Census Data" (which is also in this newsletter - see below) I have been reminded of another example of a monumental 'falling into a pit'!
A few years ago I was reviewing a piece of work on behalf of one of .id's clients. It was an economic report (much of which was based on Census data) and noted a significant conclusion reached by the 'Unnamed Economist' that there were significant declines in employment in several key economic sectors that were important to the client's region.
On closer examination, I realised that the apparent declines in at least one of these sectors (I think it was a manufacturing sector) were as a result of a change in the CLASSIFICATION of the sector (i.e. ASZIC classifications) NOT an actual decline in jobs AT ALL!
Imagine acting on that statistic - developing policy to overcome the apparent problem.
Imagine the media getting hold of those numbers and making a big deal out of them (although I'm sure the journalist would double check their sources).
At .id, our work is made easier by the fact that we develop our information applications as users not as software providers, statisticians or theorists. Being a consumer of what you produce is a powerful way of producing tools that are excellent, relevant and really useful.
Sincerely,
Ivan |
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 Focus on Local Government
Hobsons Bay - steady growth, diverse community
From a demographic perspective, the very mention of Melbourne's western suburbs conjures up images of rapid urban expansion and strong population growth.
While this is certainly the case in growth area councils such as Wyndham and Melton, the reality is far more complex.
As part of .id's process of regularly reviewing our population forecasts, we recently updated Hobsons Bay's. What are the key findings, and how are the forecasts used by council staff?
read more..
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 Census 2011 How have our religions changed? The old adage, not to discuss sex, politics or religion at a dinner party can be sound advice for avoiding arguments.
While nothing about politics is collected in the Census, and sex is limited to "male" and "female", religion is the question which seems to generate the most arguments around the time of the Census collection and data release.
Discussions of faith and non-faith, Christian and Muslim, Protestant and Catholic, and Jedi Knights pop up every Census.
Everyone seems to have an agenda, and an interest in the religion numbers. read more.. |
 2011 Census - Where are the most multicultural communities? In an earlier article, I looked at the rise of India, Nepal and Malaysian communities, with falls in older European migration, and spectacular increases in some of the smaller sources of immigrants, like Bhutan and Congo. But how is this increasing diversity distributed across Australia? In areas of high diversity, a large proportion of council services need to be devoted to helping recent migrants settle into Australian society, and areas with large increases may not yet have these services in place.
read more.. |
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Spotlight on NZ
The future of the New Zealand Census
In New Zealand, the government has been questioning the future of our census, particularly in the last couple of years.
The focus appears largely on the frequency and approach to the census delivery.
Options being aired include continuing with present five-year approach or pushing out to a ten-year cycle, ten-year short census with large-scale intercensal surveys, rolling census and administrative census.
Whatever the future decisions are, electronic channels or e-census practices will have a huge future part to play.
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inside .id
Catch up with .id at these upcoming conferences and executive briefings
We are attending a good number of conferences over the next few weeks. In some cases, we'll have a speaking role on the conference program, presenting on demographic issues, and in others we'll have our .id booth, ready to chat with clients. In some cases, we'll have both! We'd love to hear how you are using the .id tools, so please come up to us and have a chat! Also, we are travelling the country providing executive-level briefings on the significant demographic changes that have emerged during the last Census period, and what this means for individual councils. If you haven't yet had a briefing scheduled for your council, please get in touch with us and we'd be delighted to talk to you about a suitable date. The briefings are free for current clients. Read more details about the .id briefings here..You can catch us at the following conferences: - LGMA NSW in Sydney - 26-28 August
- LGMA QLD in Longreach - 28-31 August
We will be delivering a paper called "Move over babyboomers - it's not all about you!" We'll be discussing the significant shifts in age structure occurring across Australia and their implications for local planning. - SOLGM (NZ) in Auckland - 9-11 September.
- EDA National in Cairns - 17-20 September
- LGMA Tasmania in Bridport - 3-5 October
- ICTC Gold Coast - 16-19 October
We will be delivering a paper called "When observation becomes fact - what the 2011 Census tells us about urban and regional change" - LGMA WA in Fremantle - 31 Oct to 2 Nov - We will present a demographic briefing
Please come up and say hello! |
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A word from our researchers
Census 2011 - where do retiring baby boomers live?
In one of our previous Census blogs, we drew attention to the fact that 60-64 year olds were the fastest growing five year age cohort between the 2006 and 2011 Censuses, due mainly to the baby boomer generation ageing over time.
Population wise, NSW is Australia's largest state and the growth of the 60-64 year cohort was similar to the national figures.
Let's have a closer look at some of the characteristics of this older cohort of baby boomers.
read more.. | |
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 Tips and Tricks
Pitfalls in presenting Census data
With the array of data visualisation tools available these days, it may seem pretty easy to present Census data for small areas and draw conclusions from it.
Since the release of data on June 21st, quite a few websites have popped up offering data for your area and analysis.
Unfortunately it's never quite as simple as it seems, and there are many pitfalls in presenting this data.
read more.. |
 Final word Australia's first council Australia currently has 564 local councils, although with amalgamation always on the agenda that number is likely to change. But where was the first council, and when was it established? Take a guess at the location, and the date it was established - before you click on the link. To give you a clue, Australia's first council had 19 members, of which 4 were Aldermen. The Mayor was chosen from one of these.
After you have read the answer (and a brief history) please be honest and let us know in the comments if you were right...we doubt many will be!
read more.. |
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+61 3 9417 2205 info@id.com.au
NZ Freecall : 0800 955 481 www.id.com.au
10 Easey Street, PO Box 1689, Collingwood, Victoria 3066, Australia
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