Household Energy Expenditure: Measures es off Hardship & Changes in Income

Size: px
Start display at page:

Download "Household Energy Expenditure: Measures es off Hardship & Changes in Income"

Transcription

1 : Measures es off Hardship & Changes in Income By Professor or Sue Richardson Associate Professor or Peter Travers The National Institute of Labour Studies February,

2 Table of Contents HOUSEHOLD ENERGY EXPENDITURE: MEASURES OF HARDSHIP & CHANGES IN INCOME: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY...3 HARDSHIP BASELINE...3 CHANGES IN INCOME...4 SUBSIDIARY INDICATORS BACKGROUND HARDSHIP BASELINE HARDSHIP BASELINE CALCULATED FROM EXISTING DATA SUBSIDIARY INDICATOR BASED ON GENERAL SOCIAL SURVEY CHANGES IN INCOME THE ABS SURVEY OF INCOME AND HOUSING COSTS EQUIVALISED HOUSEHOLD INCOME...13 SUMMARY OF SECTION 3: CHANGES IN INCOME...21 REFERENCES

3 List of Tables TABLE 2.1 HOUSEHOLD EXPENDITURE SURVEY : PERCENTAGE OF DISPOSABLE INCOME SPENT ON FUEL AND POWER BY HOUSEHOLDS IN THE LOWEST FIVE DECILES OF EQUIVALISED DISPOSABLE INCOME (PERSON WEIGHTED)...8 TABLE 2.2 HOUSEHOLD EXPENDITURE SURVEY : PERCENTAGE OF DISPOSABLE INCOME SPENT ON FUEL AND POWER BY HOUSEHOLDS IN THE LOWEST FIVE DECILES OF EQUIVALISED DISPOSABLE INCOME (PERSON WEIGHTED)...9 TABLE 2.3: INCIDENCE OF FINANCIAL STRESS BY EQUIVALISED INCOME QUINTILE: HOUSEHOLDS UNABLE TO HEAT HOME IN PAST YEAR DUE TO SHORTAGE OF MONEY...10 TABLE 3.1 DISPOSABLE INCOME AND EQUIVALISED INCOME...13 TABLE 3.2: AUSTRALIA: INCOME DISTRIBUTION TO ( DOLLARS)...17 TABLE 3.3: SOUTH AUSTRALIA: INCOME DISTRIBUTION TO ( DOLLARS)...18 TABLE 3.4: ADJUSTMENTS TO WEEKLY ALLOWANCES AND PENSIONS (CURRENT DOLLARS): AUSTRALIA...20 TABLE 3.5: INDEX OF ADJUSTMENTS TO WEEKLY ALLOWANCES AND PENSIONS : MARCH 1998=100: AUSTRALIA...20 List of Figures FIGURE 2.1: INCIDENCE OF MISSING OUT BY FIVE-PERCENTILE INCOME RANGES...7 FIGURE 3.1: AUSTRALIA: AVERAGE HOUSEHOLD EQUIVALISED WEEKLY INCOME DOLLARS 14 FIGURE 3.2: AUSTRALIA: INCOME SHARE, HOUSEHOLD EQUIVALISED WEEKLY INCOME...15 FIGURE 3.3: AUSTRALIA: INEQUALITY IN DISTRIBUTION OF HOUSEHOLD EQUIVALISED WEEKLY INCOME GINI COEFFICIENT...15 FIGURE 3.4: SOUTH AUSTRALIA: AVERAGE HOUSEHOLD EQUIVALISED WEEKLY INCOME DOLLARS...16 FIGURE 3.5: SOUTH AUSTRALIA: INCOME SHARE, HOUSEHOLD EQUIVALISED WEEKLY INCOME...16 FIGURE 3.6: SOUTH AUSTRALIA: INEQUALITY IN DISTRIBUTION OF HOUSEHOLD EQUIVALISED WEEKLY INCOME GINI COEFFICIENT...17 FIGURE 3.7: INDEX OF ADJUSTMENTS TO WEEKLY ALLOWANCES AND PENSIONS, : AUSTRALIA

4 : Measures of Hardship & Changes in Income: Executive Summary This Report is a follow up to a Report prepared in October in which we made several recommendations for monitoring fuel-driven hardship. We recommended that a hardship baseline should be established, that changes in income be monitored, and that subsidiary measures should be used. The October 2002 Report focussed on developing the hardship baseline and provided some initial data for South Australia based on the 1998/99 Household Expenditure Survey. This Report supplies measures based on the most recent data available, drawing in particular on the latest income data of the Australian Bureau of Statistics (2000/01), the 1998/99 ABS Household Expenditure Survey, and the 2002 General Social Survey. Hardship Baseline The idea behind the hardship baseline is to give an indication of how low-income South Australians were faring in terms of their spending on household fuel and power of all kinds prior to the recent changes in the electricity industry. This information could serve as a reference point for monitoring changes over time. In our 2002 Report, we recommended that readily available information that would serve as such a baseline could be obtained from the five-yearly Household Expenditure Survey (HES). The HES provides very detailed information on how much people spend on household goods and services, and it also calculates their family income. Among the expenditure categories is expenditure on household fuel and power (electricity, gas and other fuels). According to the latest available HES (1998/99), low-income South Australians (defined here as those in the bottom half of the income distribution) spent a larger proportion of their income on household fuel 1 National Institute of Labour Studies (NILS), 2002 (October), Fuel Poverty: A concept with Power in South Australia? 3

5 and power than was the case for Australians generally. The median for Australia lies between three and four per cent, while for South Australia it is between four and five per cent. A minority of low-income Australian households (45.6%) spent four percent or more of their income on domestic fuel and power. In South Australia, however, 58.7 percent of low-income households spent four percent or more of their income on domestic fuel and power in 1998/99. In Table 2.1 of the Report, we show that this picture of relatively higher expenditure for low-income South Australians holds true throughout the full range of levels of spending on domestic fuel and power. We note that one reason for this is that the proportion of South Australians living alone is well above the national average. The Household Expenditure Survey is conducted over a period of 12 months, the latest one covering the period July 2003 to June Results are due for publication in Using the 1998/99 results as a reference point, the forthcoming results will show the extent to which the already high levels of expenditure on domestic fuel and power in South Australia have changed over time. Changes in Income Though the Household Expenditure Survey is conducted at intervals of five years, there are other surveys that can be used in the meantime to gain at least partial understanding of change. Foremost among these are the ABS income surveys, and the General Social Survey (GSS). In this Report, we publish results from the income surveys showing that the lowest income groups have on average increased their income in real terms by a small amount. This is the case both for Australia as a whole, and for South Australia. The main reason for this is that most (though not all) government cash payments have risen substantially in real terms in recent years. Changes in rates for government cash payments are published every quarter and they provide a useful proxy indicator of changes in the situation of households in the lower income range. 4

6 Subsidiary Indicators The results of the first of a new series of ABS surveys, the General Social Survey (GSS) have just been released. The GSS has several questions relating to financial hardship, and we recommended in our 2002 Report that the most appropriate of these in terms of isolating impacts for low-income households is the response to the question: Were you unable to heat your home in the past 12 months because you were short of money? The first GSS shows that in 2002, just on five percent of South Australians in the lowest income range answered Yes to this question, double the rate for Australia as a whole 2. This is consistent with the HES finding that low-income South Australians were spending a larger proportion of their income on domestic fuel and power than the Australian average. Both the GSS and the HES refer to the situation prior to the South Australian electricity retail market becoming fully contestable on 1 January This Report notes that there is a significant difference in the results reported for Australia as a whole by the GSS, compared with the results reported on in the October 2002 Report, which were based on the ABS 1998/99 HES. 5

7 1. Background This Report is a follow up to a Report prepared in October in which we made several recommendations for monitoring household fuel-driven hardship. We recommended that a hardship baseline should be established, that changes in income be monitored, and that subsidiary measures should be used. This Report supplies measures based on the most recent data available, drawing in particular on the latest income survey (ABS 2003a, 2003b, 2003c), the and the General Social Survey (ABS 2003b; 2004). Section 2.1 describes the Hardship Baseline, and Section 2.2 sets out the Subsidiary Measures. 2. Hardship Baseline 2.1 Hardship Baseline Calculated From Existing Data The hardship baseline is based on the proportion of income a household spends on household fuel and power of all types 4. The only source for this information is the Household Expenditure Survey (HES) conducted by the ABS every five years. The most recent one for which data are available is the survey. Fieldwork for the current survey began in July 2003 and will continue for 12 months. First results are due in Since our interest is primarily in those households most at risk of experiencing hardship, it is important that the hardship baseline be one that is well suited to identifying hardship. The ABS has acknowledged that its survey income can be a poor indicator of living standards for those with the very lowest incomes. This is illustrated in Figure 2.1, showing the extent to which missing out on a range of common activities due to lack of money is related to household income. 3 National Institute of Labour Studies (NILS), 2002 (October), Fuel Poverty: A concept with Power in South Australia? 4 All references to household (domestic) fuel and power relate to the ABS definition of domestic fuel and power which includes electricity and gas, as well as heating oil, wood for fuel etc., but excludes fuel used for non-residential purposes such as motor vehicles. 6

8 (The common activities that were missed out on due to lack of money were: family and friends over once a month for a meal; a special meal once a week; new clothing rather than second-hand; a holiday away from home once a year; night out once a fortnight.) A feature of Figure 2.1 is that though, as would be expected, rising income is associated with a lower probability of missing out, this is not the case for the households in the very lowest five percentile income range. The most likely explanation of this is that this lowest group includes those with zero and with negative income, a disproportionate number of whom are self-employed and have expenditure patterns that do not accord with their stated income. We have taken this problem into account in Tables 2.1 and 2.2 by omitting from our calculations those households declaring zero or negative income. Figure 2.1: Incidence of missing out by five-percentile income ranges Source: Bray, Figure 6, FACS Occasional Paper No. 4, Hardship in Australia. An analysis of financial stress indicators in the Australian Bureau of Statistics Household Expenditure Survey, J Rob Bray. Tables 2.1 and 2.2 show the expenditure patterns in the lower half of the income distribution for South Australia and for Australia. The income measure used to select the lower half of the income distribution is equivalised income, that is, disposable income adjusted by the equivalence factors now routinely used by the ABS the socalled OECD modified equivalence scale (ABS 2003c). The income measure used to calculate the percentage of income spent on household fuel and power is disposable income. 7

9 Tables 2.1 and 2.2 show that it is extremely rare for low-income households to have an expenditure of less than one per cent of household income on domestic fuel and power. The proportion of expenditure on domestic fuel and power for low-income South Australian households is consistently higher than for Australia as a whole. The median for Australia lies between three and four per cent, while for South Australia it is between four and five per cent. A minority of low-income Australian households (45.6%) spends four percent or more of their income on fuel and power. In South Australia, however, 58.7 percent of low-income households spent four percent or more of their income on fuel and power in 1998/99. Table 2.1 Household Expenditure Survey : Percentage of disposable income spent on fuel and power by households in the lowest five deciles of equivalised disposable income (person weighted) % of households Per cent disposable income South Australia Australia Less than 1% % or more % or more % or more % or more % or more % or more % or more % or more % or more % or more Total Source: Special tables calculated by ABS (Households with zero or negative income omitted) Table 2.2 gives the estimated numbers of households, including those with nil or negative income. South Australia has 9.5 percent of the households in the lower half of the Australian income distribution compared to its overall population share of 7.7 percent. This reflects both the relatively lower incomes in South Australia, and the higher percentage of lone person households in South Australia percent, the highest of any State, and well above the national average of 22.9 percent (ABS 2002b). 8

10 Table 2.2 Household Expenditure Survey : Percentage of disposable income spent on fuel and power by households in the lowest five deciles of equivalised disposable income (person weighted) Estimated No. of Households Per cent disposable income South Australia Australia Nil/negative disposable income 5,794 62,517 Less than 1% 3,784 96,800 1% or more 338,223 3,488,539 2% or more 321,417 3,134,357 3% or more 269,299 2,355,482 4% or more 200,894 1,636,221 5% or more 130,355 1,153,625 6% or more 97, ,825 7% or more 71, ,116 8% or more 41, ,577 9% or more 31, ,534 10% or more 28, ,226 Total 347,801 3,647,856 Source: Special tables calculated by ABS Table 2.1 could serve as a meaningful baseline for the calculation of changes in the level of fuel-driven hardship. It shows that even in , low income South Australians were spending more of their income on household fuel and power than was the case for the nation as a whole. This would be a useful reference line for monitoring changes over time. 2.2 Subsidiary Indicator Based On General Social Survey A question asked both in the 1998/99 HES and in the 2002 General Social Survey (GSS) is whether respondents were unable to heat their home in the past year due to shortage of money. In his analysis of this and similar questions in the 1998/99 HES, Bray classified the item unable to heat home as an indicator of hardship rather than as merely a cash flow problem, or an indicator of missing out (Bray, 2001). Unlike the item referring to payment of utility bills on time, for example, the incidence of this problem is confined overwhelmingly to households with low income. The GSS results for the 2002 have now been released for Australia (December 2003) and for the States (January 2004). Table 2.3 gives the response to this question by income quintile for the whole of Australia and for each State in the 2002 GSS: 9

11 Table 2.3: Incidence of financial stress by equivalised income quintile: Households unable to heat home in past year due to shortage of money Number Of Persons (per cent) Lowest quintile Second quintile Third quintile Top two quintiles All persons Percent unable to heat home in SA * 0.9** 0.4** 1.6 past 12 months because they Victoria 1.2* 1.7* 1.3* 0.3** 0.9 were short of money NSW 0.1** 0.9* 2.2** 2* 0.7 QLD 0.6** 0.2** 4.5* 1.5* 0.7 WA 0.4** 1.5* 2.4* 2* 1.4 Tasmania * 0.9** 1* 2.0 ACT 4.8* 3.7* 0.2** 0.1** 0.9 Australia * 0.3** 0.9 Source: ABS 2003d; 2004 * estimate has a relative standard error of between 25% and 50% and should be used with caution ** estimate has a relative standard error greater than 50% and is considered too unreliable for general use Table 2.3 shows the percentages of persons who answered Yes to the question whether they had been unable to heat their home because they were short of money at some time in the past 12 months. The quintile breakdown refers to household income, adjusted for household size. The first thing to note is that there are so few people in the top half of the income distribution who answer Yes to this question that the top two quintiles have been combined. Even then, most cells in the State breakdown by quintiles of income produce a result that is either quite unreliable (marked **) or a result that should be treated with caution (marked *). Even in the lowest income group, the Yes answers are too few to be reliable in all States except South Australia (4.9 percent) and Tasmania (3.7 percent). The South Australian number is double that of the rate among all Australians living in households in the lowest income quintile. It is worth noting that most of the Queensland and NSW population enjoys relatively mild winters, and so a low response for these States would be expected to a question on home heating, and also tend to result in a relatively low Australian average. Furthermore, as noted above in the comments on Table 2.2, South Australia has a 10

12 higher percentage of lone person households than any other State. People living alone would spend on average a greater proportion of their income on heating than would be the case in larger households. The GSS results show a consistently lower Yes response than those we reported previously, citing Bray s analysis of the Household Expenditure Survey. (Bray 2001). Bray does not give a State breakdown, but his results for each income quintile for Australia are approximately twice as high as the GSS results. There are several possible explanations for this difference: Both the HES and the GSS estimate results for the whole population on the basis of sample responses. All such results are subject to sampling error; The HES survey took place four years earlier than the GSS; The HES survey was conducted over a whole year, whereas the GSS was between March and July. Seasonal factors, such as whether a person was interviewed on a particularly cold day rather than a particularly hot one can influence answers; The HES covers all people aged 15 and over, whereas the GSS covers those aged 18 and over; Bray s results were of percentages of households, whereas the GSS tables give percentages of people. This would not make any difference if all households contained the same number of people. There are in fact many more singleperson households in the lowest income group than in any others. The context within which the question is asked can vary, as does the knowledge and attitudes of the person who is answering the question, and the skill of the interviewer. In view of these differences in methodology and the large variability between responses to this question in the 2002 GSS and the 1998/99 HES, we would recommend caution in drawing conclusions based on a direct comparison between the GSS and the HES. It would be preferable if direct comparisons were made, rather, between the 1998/99 HES and later HES results due to be published in 2005, or between the various rounds of the GSS. 11

13 3. Changes in Income 3.1 The ABS Survey of Income and Housing Costs The most reliable source of income data in Australia is the ABS Survey of Income and Housing Costs (SIHC). In recent years the survey has been annual, but from it will be biennial, with a larger sample size than previously. Results from the survey have only just been published, and results from the latest survey will not be published until later in The reason for the delay in publishing the survey is that revisions were being made to these and to earlier results in an attempt to achieve greater consistency. For some time the ABS and other researchers have recognised difficulties in achieving consistency in income data over time. This is in part due to changes in survey methodology and field procedures that occurred beginning with the SIHC (ABS 2003a). There has also been significant undercoverage of government cash transfers, particularly since (ABS 2003b). The ABS together with the Social Policy Research Centre has been addressing these issues and a series of reports will be forthcoming. The July 2003 publication of the SIHC gives an important revision that addresses the problem of undercoverage of social security payments. The time series set out below incorporates these revisions. To correct for under-reporting, the survey weights assigned to respondents reporting benefits have been increased for and In addition, a process of demographic benchmarking was applied to all surveys back to to ensure the data accords with known demographic characteristics of the population. Finally, the one-off payment to seniors in was modelled and added to respondent records (ABS 2003a, p. 51). This means that the Tables set out below can be treated with greater confidence than previous reports of income distribution time series. Even though there is still undercoverage of reporting of benefits, the series can now be regarded as consistent. 12

14 3.2 Equivalised Household Income The income measure used in these Tables is equivalised household income. The ABS has recently announced that it will from now on use equivalised disposable income instead of gross income for most analysis (ABS 2003b). Equivalised disposable income is an income measure that deducts direct taxes from gross household income and which also takes account of both the varying needs of different sized households and of economies of scale in expenditure within the household. The aim is that when two households are said to have similar equivalised income, then they have similar current material standard of living (although there is no account taken of differences in assets). Equivalised income is obtained by dividing after-tax income by an equivalence factor. The one used by the ABS is the OECD modified scale, which allocates a value of 1 to the first adult in the household; 0.5 for each additional adult; and 0.3 for each child. This is illustrated in Table 3.1 where the after-tax income of each household is divided by 1, 1.5 and 1.8 respectively, resulting in each having an equivalised income of $ The three households in Table 3.1 would thus be assumed to have a similar standard of living. Table 3.1 Disposable income and equivalised income Household composition Disposable Income Equivalised Income Single adult $10000 $10000 Couple $15000 $10000 Couple and one child $18000 $10000 Figures below show the time series for income distribution for Australia and for South Australia over the period covered by the six surveys between 1994/95 and 2000/01. The data on which the charts are based is set out in Tables 3.2 and 3.3. Note that the quintile cut-off points for Australia are used in both the Australian and South Australian data. This means that direct comparisons can be made, but it also has the implication that the South Australian quintiles are not of equal size. In addition to the five quintiles, the second and third income deciles have also been included in the Tables in keeping with recent ABS practice of using this category as being the most suitable for defining the low income group (ABS 2003c, p.6). Real average income 13

15 has risen for all income-groups, but most sharply in the case of the richest quintile. This is reflected in the Tables showing the income share of each group: only the highest income quintile has increased its share. Not surprisingly, this translates into a rise in the Gini coefficient, a measure of inequality that has a value of 1 where one person receives all income, and 0 where income is equally shared. Figure 3.1: Australia: Average household equivalised weekly income dollars Highest quintile Fourth quintile Third quintile Second and third deciles Lowest quintile $ per week Source: ABS Cat Survey of Inc and Housing Costs, , Table 1 14

16 Figure 3.2: Australia: Income share, household equivalised weekly income 45.0 Highest quintile Fourth quintile Third quintile Second and third deciles Lowest quintile Percent Source: ABS Cat Survey of Inc and Housing Costs, , Table 1 Figure 3.3: Australia: Inequality in distribution of household equivalised weekly income Gini coefficient Source: ABS Cat Survey of Inc and Housing Costs, , Table 1 15

17 Figure 3.4: South Australia: Average household equivalised weekly income dollars Highest quintile Fourth quintile Third quintile Second and third deciles Lowest quintile $ per week Source: ABS Special Tables derived from Survey of Inc and Housing Costs, Figure 3.5: South Australia: Income share, household equivalised weekly income Highest quintile Fourth quintile Third quintile Second and third deciles Lowest quintile Percent Source: ABS Special Tables derived from Survey of Inc and Housing Costs,

18 Figure 3.6: South Australia: Inequality in distribution of household equivalised weekly income Gini coefficient Source: ABS Special Tables derived from Survey of Inc and Housing Costs, Table 3.2: Australia: Income distribution to ( dollars) Average weekly income Highest quintile Fourth quintile Third quintile Second quintile Lowest quintile Second and third deciles Income share Highest quintile Fourth quintile Third quintile Second quintile Lowest quintile Second and third deciles Gini Coefficient Source: ABS Cat Survey of Inc and Housing Costs, , Table 1 17

19 Table 3.3: South Australia: Income distribution to ( dollars) Average weekly income Highest quintile Fourth quintile Third quintile Second quintile Lowest quintile Second and third deciles Income share Highest quintile Fourth quintile Third quintile Second quintile Lowest quintile Second and third deciles Gini Coefficient Note: The Australian quintile cutoff-points are also used for the SA quintiles Source: ABS Special tables derived from Survey of Income and Housing Costs, On the face of it, households in the lowest quintiles have maintained their position in absolute terms, but not in relative terms. However, a problem arises in translating this into an accurate indicator of living standards owing to the introduction of the New Tax System in 1 July The New Tax System contained three elements: 1. A marked increase in government cash transfers; 2. A lowering of tax rates; 3. The introduction of a new indirect tax the GST. The changes in cash transfers (including the one-off payment in July 2000 to compensate for the inflationary effects of the GST) and to the direct tax rates are incorporated in the figures given above, but not the GST itself. We will have to wait until 2005 when the results of the HES are released to see the net impact of these changes. As the ABS points out, the net impact could be higher or lower for different groups, depending on their different expenditure patterns. 18

20 In the meantime, it is relatively simple to obtain the changes in the rates of payments for government cash transfers. Of households with what the ABS defines as low incomes (the Second and Third Decile category in Figures above), just over 75 per cent have government pensions and allowances as their principal source of income (ABS 2003b, p.6). The Common Pension Rates are indexed twice yearly (20 March and 20 September) according to changes in the higher of the CPI or Male Total Average Weekly Earnings (MTAWE) for the previous June to December, or December to June. The single rate benchmark is set at 25 per cent of MTAWE, and the single rate in turn is 60 per cent of the combined married rate. The Common Benefit Rates, which apply to various allowances (such as those paid to the unemployed) as distinct from pensions, are indexed according to the CPI only. As is clear from Figure 3.7 and from Tables 3.4 and 3.5 below, these payments have diverged substantially since In the five years since September 1998, the pension has gone from being 10.5 per cent higher than the allowance to 17.6 per cent higher. The pension and allowance rates shown here apply throughout the whole of Australia. Figure 3.7: Index of adjustments to weekly allowances and pensions, : Australia A llo w a n ce Pension Special GST adjustm ent Mar-98 Jun-98 Sep-98 Dec-98 Mar-99 Jun-99 Sep-99 Dec-99 Mar-00 Jun-00 Sep-00 Dec-00 Mar-01 Jun-01 Sep-01 Dec-01 Mar-02 Jun-02 Sep-02 Dec-02 Mar-03 Jun-03 Sep-03 Source: Graphical representation of Table

21 Table 3.4: Adjustments to weekly allowances and pensions (current dollars): Australia Allowance Pension 20/03/ /09/ /03/ /09/ /03/ /07/ /09/ /03/ /09/ /03/ /09/ /03/ /09/ Table 3.5: Index of adjustments to weekly allowances and pensions : March 1998=100: Australia Allowance Pension 20/03/ /09/ /03/ /09/ /03/ /07/ /09/ /03/ /09/ /03/ /09/ /03/ /09/ Source: Derived from the Common Pension Rate (see Common Benefit Rate (see and the Definition of all FACS payments and benefits (refer to 20

22 Summary of section 3: Changes in Income Figures 3.1 to 3.3 represent three ways of illustrating the same point: using the best income data available, we can say for Australia that though average incomes at each income level rose between and , they rose much more sharply in the highest income quintile. This translates into the highest quintile increasing its share of total income (Figure 3.2), and a higher level in income inequality at the end of the period than at the beginning (Figure 3.3). The situation of those in the second and third income deciles is worthy of special note, since most of those receiving pensions or allowances fall into this category. This group improved their situation in real terms by a small amount (7.9 percent), but had a smaller share of total income at the end of the period. Figures , and Tables show the results for South Australia. The picture here is more complex. Average incomes in the highest quintile have risen at about half the rate as for Australia as a whole, while those for the lowest income groups show very little difference from their counterparts for Australia as a whole. This is no doubt due to the high proportion of people receiving government cash transfers in these categories for whom income is similar throughout Australia. The upshot of this is that the income share of the poorest groups in South Australia actually rose over the period, while that of the richest quintile fell, with a corresponding fall in overall income inequality within South Australia. Even though the income data cited here is the best currently available, it does not include the effect of the GST on the living standards of low-income households. We will get an indication of that when the next HES is published in Figure 3.7 and Tables 3.4 and 3.5 give a further breakdown within the category of those receiving government cash transfers. While all payments are indexed, pensions move according to the higher of average incomes and the CPI, whereas allowances are indexed only according to the CPI. The two types of payment are diverging sharply and can be expected to continue to diverge over time. Changes in the indexation of the two payments are published twice yearly and would serve as a useful proxy to changes in the incomes of the low-income population. 21

23 References Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2002a, Catalogue No , Special Article on Household Income, Living Standards and Financial Stress. Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2002b, Catalogue No , Census of Population and Housing Selected Social and Housing Characteristics. Australian Bureau of Statistics, June 2003a, Catalogue No , Feature Article on Revised Household Income Distribution Statistics. Australian Bureau of Statistics, July 2003b, Catalogue , Survey of Income and Housing Costs, Australian Bureau of Statistics, July 2003c, Catalogue , Household Income and Income Distribution, Australian Bureau of Statistics, December 2003d, Catalogue No General Social Survey, Australia Australian Bureau of Statistics, January 2004, Catalogue No General Social Survey, States Bray, R, 2001, Hardship in Australia, Occasional Paper No. 4, Department of Family and Community Services, Canberra. Common Pension Rate: Common Benefit Rate: Definitions of all FACS payments and benefits: 22

REPORT: COST OF LIVING AND STANDARD OF LIVING INDEXES FOR AUSTRALIA June 2013. Ben Phillips Principal Research Fellow

REPORT: COST OF LIVING AND STANDARD OF LIVING INDEXES FOR AUSTRALIA June 2013. Ben Phillips Principal Research Fellow NATSEM NATSEM Working Paper HOUSEHOLD Yr/No BUDGET REPORT: COST OF LIVING AND STANDARD OF LIVING INDEXES FOR AUSTRALIA June 2013 Ben Phillips Principal Research Fellow August 2013 About NATSEM The National

More information

Statistical Bulletin. The Effects of Taxes and Benefits on Household Income, 2011/12. Key points

Statistical Bulletin. The Effects of Taxes and Benefits on Household Income, 2011/12. Key points Statistical Bulletin The Effects of Taxes and Benefits on Household Income, 2011/12 Coverage: UK Date: 10 July 2013 Geographical Area: UK and GB Theme: Economy Theme: People and Places Key points There

More information

Living Standard Trends in Australia: Report for Anglicare Australia. BEN PHILLIPS NATSEM UNIVERSITY OF CANBERRA, September 2015

Living Standard Trends in Australia: Report for Anglicare Australia. BEN PHILLIPS NATSEM UNIVERSITY OF CANBERRA, September 2015 Living Standard Trends in Australia: Report for Anglicare Australia BEN PHILLIPS NATSEM UNIVERSITY OF CANBERRA, September 2015 2 Contents 1 Executive Sumary 3 2 Introduction 5 3 Methodology 6 4 Results

More information

Statistical appendix. A.1 Introduction

Statistical appendix. A.1 Introduction A Statistical appendix A.1 Introduction This appendix contains contextual information to assist the interpretation of the performance indicators presented in the Report. The following four key factors

More information

Business Expectations Survey

Business Expectations Survey Business Expectations Survey Dun & Bradstreet Q1 2016 FINAL RESULTS RELEASED 5 JANUARY 2016 Index CapEx plans up despite low expectations The results from Dun & Bradstreet s December Business Expectations

More information

Wherever I lay my debt, that s my home

Wherever I lay my debt, that s my home Wherever I lay my debt, that s my home Trends in housing affordability and housing stress, 1995-96 to 2005-06 AMP.NATSEM Income and Wealth Report Issue 19 - March 2008 CONTENTS 1. Foreword 2 2. Introduction

More information

The Pensioners Incomes Series

The Pensioners Incomes Series The Pensioners Incomes Series United Kingdom, 2012/13 July 2014 Contents List of tables... iii List of figures... v Chapter 1: Introduction and Summary of Main Results... 1 Definitions and conventions

More information

AN EXAMINATION OF THE IMPACT OF THE FAMILY TAX INITIATIVE. Gillian Beer

AN EXAMINATION OF THE IMPACT OF THE FAMILY TAX INITIATIVE. Gillian Beer AN EXAMINATION OF THE IMPACT OF THE FAMILY TAX INITIATIVE Gillian Beer Policy Papers No. 3 September 1996 National Centre for Social and Economic Modelling Faculty of Management University of Canberra

More information

Housing Australia factsheet

Housing Australia factsheet www.shelter.org.au Housing Australia factsheet A quick guide to housing facts and figures Homelessness There were estimated to be 15,237 people experiencing homelessness on Census night in 211. Page 2

More information

Understanding what is happening to electricity demand

Understanding what is happening to electricity demand Understanding what is happening to electricity demand Hugh Saddler Centre for Climate Economics and Policy Seminar Crawford School, ANU 26 August 2015 TWh TWh Changes in sent out electricity since 2006

More information

In May 2008, the Internal Revenue

In May 2008, the Internal Revenue How Consumers Used the 2008 Tax Rebates: Spending, Saving, or Paying Off Debt GEOFFREY PAULIN Geoffrey Paulin is a senior economist in the Branch of Information and Analysis, Division of Consumer Expenditure

More information

Unemployment and Income Distribution

Unemployment and Income Distribution Unemployment and Income Distribution Ann Harding and Sue Richardson * 1. Introduction Unemployment is widely regarded as the foremost economic problem currently facing the Australian economy. Among its

More information

Housing Affordability Report

Housing Affordability Report Housing Affordability Report JUNE QUARTER Stable market but no reprieve for first home Housing affordability remained relatively steady in the June quarter of with the proportion of income required to

More information

How is alcohol expenditure distributed in Australia?

How is alcohol expenditure distributed in Australia? How is alcohol expenditure distributed in Australia? Exploring alcohol expenditure and experience of financial difficulties August 2015 Dr Heng Jiang Dr Michael Livingston Professor Robin Room This research

More information

CONSUMER EXPENDITURES 2014

CONSUMER EXPENDITURES 2014 For release: 10:00 a.m. (EDT), Thursday, September 3, 2015 USDL-15-1696 Technical Information: (202) 691-6900 CEXInfo@bls.gov www.bls.gov/cex Media Contact (202) 691-5902 PressOffice@bls.gov CONSUMER EXPENDITURES

More information

Poverty and its Causes

Poverty and its Causes Poverty and its Causes Introduction This report updates ACOSS Poverty Report, last published in October 2010. While the total measurement of poverty in Australia has not been brought up to date since 2006,

More information

Transfer income/payments : payments received by persons from the federal government in the form of cash social service benefits such as pensions.

Transfer income/payments : payments received by persons from the federal government in the form of cash social service benefits such as pensions. The government s economic objective of equity in the distribution personal income basically means that it is striving for a fair, but not necessarily equal, share of income to be distributed to all members

More information

Statistical Bulletin. The Effects of Taxes and Benefits on Household Income, 2012/13. Key points

Statistical Bulletin. The Effects of Taxes and Benefits on Household Income, 2012/13. Key points Statistical Bulletin The Effects of Taxes and Benefits on Household Income, 2012/13 Coverage: UK Date: 26 June 2014 Geographical Area: UK and GB Theme: Economy Theme: People and Places Key points Before

More information

Employment Outlook for. Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services

Employment Outlook for. Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services Employment Outlook for Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Contents INTRODUCTION... 3 EMPLOYMENT GROWTH... 4 EMPLOYMENT PROSPECTS... 6 VACANCY TRENDS... 8 WORKFORCE AGEING... 10 EMPLOYMENT BY GENDER AND

More information

Impact on households: distributional analysis to accompany Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015

Impact on households: distributional analysis to accompany Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015 Impact on households: distributional analysis to accompany Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015 November 2015 Impact on households: distributional analysis to accompany Spending Review and Autumn

More information

An update on the level and distribution of retirement savings

An update on the level and distribution of retirement savings ASFA Research and Resource Centre An update on the level and distribution of retirement savings Ross Clare Director of Research March 2014 The Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia Limited (ASFA)

More information

Gambling revenue. 10.1 Gambling revenue and taxation

Gambling revenue. 10.1 Gambling revenue and taxation Gambling revenue TECHNICAL PAPER 1 The gambling industry is subject to the Australian Government s GST, as well as a wide range of State taxes, license fees and levies. This paper focuses on State Government

More information

The Impact of Social Protection on the Distribution of Income in Ireland

The Impact of Social Protection on the Distribution of Income in Ireland The Impact of Social Protection on the Distribution of Income in Ireland Submission Oireachtas Joint Committee on Education and Social Protection Cormac Staunn, TASC 15 th January 2015 Summary: Understanding

More information

NSW housing: a factsheet

NSW housing: a factsheet NSW housing: a factsheet Quick guide to key housing facts and figures Housing Stress page 4 In NSW, 78% of very low income renter households were experiencing rental stress on census day 2011. In NSW,

More information

Pricing, Cost Structures, and Profitability in the Australian Vegetable Industry

Pricing, Cost Structures, and Profitability in the Australian Vegetable Industry Pricing, Cost Structures, and Profitability in the Australian Vegetable Industry This paper examines some key financial aspects of the Australian vegetable industry as it relates to pricing and costs of

More information

Published by the Stationery Office, Dublin, Ireland.

Published by the Stationery Office, Dublin, Ireland. An Phríomh-Oifig Staidrimh Central Statistics Office Published by the Stationery Office, Dublin, Ireland. Available from the: Central Statistics Office, Information Section, Skehard Road, Cork. Prn A12/0296

More information

CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE CBO. The Distribution of Household Income and Federal Taxes, 2008 and 2009

CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE CBO. The Distribution of Household Income and Federal Taxes, 2008 and 2009 CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE Percent 70 The Distribution of Household Income and Federal Taxes, 2008 and 2009 60 50 Before-Tax Income Federal Taxes Top 1 Percent 40 30 20 81st

More information

Housing Affordability Report

Housing Affordability Report Housing Affordability Report Joint ly Survey No. 94. ch Interest rate increases bite hard The title of the Deposit Power/Real Estate Institute of Australia Home Loan Affordability Report has been changed

More information

Trends in the Distribution of Income in Australia

Trends in the Distribution of Income in Australia Trends in the Distribution of Income in Australia Productivity Commission Staff Working Paper March 2013 Jared Greenville Clinton Pobke Nikki Rogers The views expressed in this paper are those of the staff

More information

Cost of Living Update. No.9, February 2012

Cost of Living Update. No.9, February 2012 Cost of Living Update No.9, February 2012 SACOSS Cost of Living Update No. 9, February 2012 ISSN 1836-5248 (Print) ISSN 1836-5256 (Online) First published in November 2012 by the South Australian Council

More information

Key Findings ASIC Report 419. Australian Financial Attitudes and Behaviour Tracker Wave 1: March August 2014

Key Findings ASIC Report 419. Australian Financial Attitudes and Behaviour Tracker Wave 1: March August 2014 ASIC Report 419 Wave 1: March August 2014 Australian Securities and Investments Commission December 2014 Contents INTRODUCTION 3 KEY FINDINGS 9 Financial attitudes 10 Keeping track of finances 11 Planning

More information

Impact of the recession

Impact of the recession Regional Trends 43 21/11 Impact of the recession By Cecilia Campos, Alistair Dent, Robert Fry and Alice Reid, Office for National Statistics Abstract This report looks at the impact that the most recent

More information

Health expenditure Australia 2011 12: analysis by sector

Health expenditure Australia 2011 12: analysis by sector Health expenditure Australia 2011 12: analysis by sector HEALTH AND WELFARE EXPENDITURE SERIES No. 51 HEALTH AND WELFARE EXPENDITURE SERIES Number 51 Health expenditure Australia 2011 12: analysis by sector

More information

South Australian Tax Review

South Australian Tax Review South Australian Tax Review Response to Discussion Paper APRIL 2015 Page 1 RESTAURANT & CATERING AUSTRALIA Restaurant & Catering Australia (R&CA) is the national industry association representing the interests

More information

CHARACTERISTICS AND EXPENDITURE PATTERNS OF AUSTRALIAN HOUSEHOLDS USING MOBILE PHONES. Farhat Yusuf and Mohammad B. Naseri Macquarie University

CHARACTERISTICS AND EXPENDITURE PATTERNS OF AUSTRALIAN HOUSEHOLDS USING MOBILE PHONES. Farhat Yusuf and Mohammad B. Naseri Macquarie University CHARACTERISTICS AND EXPENDITURE PATTERNS OF AUSTRALIAN HOUSEHOLDS USING MOBILE PHONES Farhat Yusuf and Mohammad B. Naseri Macquarie University Track: Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and large and Small Business

More information

Project LINK Meeting New York, 20-22 October 2010. Country Report: Australia

Project LINK Meeting New York, 20-22 October 2010. Country Report: Australia Project LINK Meeting New York, - October 1 Country Report: Australia Prepared by Peter Brain: National Institute of Economic and Industry Research, and Duncan Ironmonger: Department of Economics, University

More information

Insurance Insights. When markets hit motorists. How international financial markets impact Compulsory Third Party insurance

Insurance Insights. When markets hit motorists. How international financial markets impact Compulsory Third Party insurance Insurance Insights When markets hit motorists How international financial markets impact Compulsory Third Party insurance August 2012 Chris McHugh Executive General Manager Statutory Portfolio Commercial

More information

Assistance in the private sector. 11 Rent assistance in the private market...28. 12 Home ownership assistance...31

Assistance in the private sector. 11 Rent assistance in the private market...28. 12 Home ownership assistance...31 Assistance in the private sector 11 Rent assistance in the private market...28 12 Home ownership assistance...31 27 11. Rent assistance in the private market Rent assistance to tenants in the private rental

More information

Austria: Distributive Effects of Social Insurance Contributions, Income Tax and Monetary Social Benefits on the Household Level

Austria: Distributive Effects of Social Insurance Contributions, Income Tax and Monetary Social Benefits on the Household Level European Centre Europäisches Zentrum Centre EuropÉen Michael Fuchs is Researcher at the European Centre for Social Welfare Policy and Research, Vienna: http://www.euro.centre.org/fuchs Christine Lietz

More information

August 2014. Industry Report: SolarBusinessServices. Solar Businesses in Australia. Prepared for: Rec Agents Association

August 2014. Industry Report: SolarBusinessServices. Solar Businesses in Australia. Prepared for: Rec Agents Association August 2014 Prepared by: Industry Report: SolarBusinessServices Prepared for: Solar Businesses in Australia Rec Agents Association P a g e 1 RAA Industry Report Solar Businesses in Australia Final 2014

More information

Personal debt ON LABOUR AND INCOME

Personal debt ON LABOUR AND INCOME ON LABOUR AND INCOME Personal debt Although the economy and population are almost times the size of s, the two countries show several similarities. Both have relatively high per-capita income and living

More information

Commonwealth of Australia 2011 ISBN 978-1-921916-17-5 DIISR 11/052

Commonwealth of Australia 2011 ISBN 978-1-921916-17-5 DIISR 11/052 Commonwealth of Australia 2011 ISBN 978-1-921916-17-5 DIISR 11/052 This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced by any process without

More information

BEHIND THE DECLINE: THE CHANGING COMPOSITION OF PRIVATE HEALTH INSURANCE IN AUSTRALIA, 1983 95. Deborah Schofield, Simon Fischer and Richard Percival

BEHIND THE DECLINE: THE CHANGING COMPOSITION OF PRIVATE HEALTH INSURANCE IN AUSTRALIA, 1983 95. Deborah Schofield, Simon Fischer and Richard Percival BEHIND THE DECLINE: THE CHANGING COMPOSITION OF PRIVATE HEALTH INSURANCE IN AUSTRALIA, 1983 95 Deborah Schofield, Simon Fischer and Richard Percival Discussion Paper No. 18 May 1997 National Centre for

More information

Household Finance and Consumption Survey

Household Finance and Consumption Survey An Phríomh-Oifig Staidrimh Central Statistics Office Household Finance and Consumption Survey 2013 Published by the Stationery Office, Dublin, Ireland. Available from: Central Statistics Office, Information

More information

Poverty, Social Exclusion and Disadvantage in Australia

Poverty, Social Exclusion and Disadvantage in Australia Poverty, Social Exclusion and Disadvantage in Australia Error! No text of specified style in document., Report Prepared for UNITINGCARE, CHILDREN, YOUNG PEOPLE AND FAMILIES Poverty, Social Exclusion and

More information

Q&A on tax relief for individuals & families

Q&A on tax relief for individuals & families Q&A on tax relief for individuals & families A. Tax cuts individuals What are the new tax rates? The table below shows the new tax rates being rolled out from 1 October 2008, 1 April 2010 and 1 April 2011,

More information

This submission is a response from Somerville Community Services Inc and UnitingCare Wesley Adelaide to the

This submission is a response from Somerville Community Services Inc and UnitingCare Wesley Adelaide to the This submission is a response from Somerville Community Services Inc and UnitingCare Wesley Adelaide to the REVIEW OF FULL RETAIL CONTESTABILITY FOR NORTHERN TERRITORY ELECTRICITY CUSTOMERS Issues Paper

More information

Socioeconomic status is widely recognised to have an impact on health outcomes.

Socioeconomic status is widely recognised to have an impact on health outcomes. Chapter 1. Demographic Profile of South Australia Introduction Understanding the health status of the South Australians, requires a knowledge of the different characteristics of our communities and what

More information

IMPACT OF INCREASES IN ELECTRICITY RATES ON LOW AND NON LOW INCOME HOUSEHOLDS IN MANITOBA

IMPACT OF INCREASES IN ELECTRICITY RATES ON LOW AND NON LOW INCOME HOUSEHOLDS IN MANITOBA IMPACT OF INCREASES IN ELECTRICITY RATES ON LOW AND NON LOW INCOME HOUSEHOLDS IN MANITOBA Prepared for the Public Interest Law Centre By Harvey Stevens and Wayne Simpson February 2014 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS

More information

A Comparative Analysis of Income Statistics for the District of Columbia

A Comparative Analysis of Income Statistics for the District of Columbia Occasional Studies A Comparative Analysis of Income Statistics for the District of Columbia ACS Income Estimates vs. DC Individual Income Tax Data Jayron Lashgari Office of Revenue Analysis Office of the

More information

Electricity network services. Long-term trends in prices and costs

Electricity network services. Long-term trends in prices and costs Electricity network services Long-term trends in prices and costs Contents Executive summary 3 Background 4 Trends in network prices and service 6 Trends in underlying network costs 11 Executive summary

More information

Estimated U.S. household energy costs as percentage of after tax income

Estimated U.S. household energy costs as percentage of after tax income Energy Cost Impacts on American Families Rising electricity prices and declining family incomes are straining the budgets of America s lower- and middle-income families. U.S. households with pre-tax annual

More information

Households Below Average Income. An analysis of the income distribution 1994/95 2012/13 July 2014 (United Kingdom)

Households Below Average Income. An analysis of the income distribution 1994/95 2012/13 July 2014 (United Kingdom) Households Below Average Income An analysis of the income distribution 1994/95 2012/13 July 2014 (United Kingdom) Households Below Average Income An analysis of the income distribution 1994/95 2012/13

More information

Budget priorities: cut company tax, invest in infrastructure and balance budget within five years.

Budget priorities: cut company tax, invest in infrastructure and balance budget within five years. Ai Group Survey Business Priorities for the 2014-15 Federal Budget Budget priorities: cut company tax, invest in infrastructure and balance budget within five years. 4 May 2014 The top three priorities

More information

Contact us. Hoa Bui T: + 61 (02) 9335 8938 E: hbui@kpmg.com.au. Briallen Cummings T: + 61 (02) 9335 7940 E: bcummings01@kpmg.com.au. www.kpmg.com.

Contact us. Hoa Bui T: + 61 (02) 9335 8938 E: hbui@kpmg.com.au. Briallen Cummings T: + 61 (02) 9335 7940 E: bcummings01@kpmg.com.au. www.kpmg.com. Contact us Hoa Bui T: + 61 (02) 9335 8938 E: hbui@kpmg.com.au Briallen Cummings T: + 61 (02) 9335 7940 E: bcummings01@kpmg.com.au www.kpmg.com.au No reliance This report should not be regarded as suitable

More information

New Estimates Of Personal Taxes In Consumer Expenditure Survey

New Estimates Of Personal Taxes In Consumer Expenditure Survey APRIL 2015 New Estimates Of Personal Taxes In Consumer Expenditure Survey Aaron E. Cobet The Consumer Expenditure Survey provides information on the buying habits of American consumers, their income, and

More information

Home loan affordability report

Home loan affordability report Home loan affordability report Joint Quarterly Survey No. 89. ember Quarter Low affordability challenges Gen X, Y Home loan affordability has taken another beating as the proportion of family income required

More information

Housing Affordability Report

Housing Affordability Report Housing Affordability Report MARCH QUARTER Housing affordability improves on the back of falling interest rates as loan sizes rise and incomes stall The first quarter of showed an improvement in housing

More information

Irish Findings on Financial Protection

Irish Findings on Financial Protection Irish Findings on Financial Protection Bridget Johnston Mapping the Pathways to Universal Healthcare https://medicine.tcd.ie/health-systems-research/ Centre for Health Policy and Management, Trinity College

More information

1960-61. United States

1960-61. United States 61-61 United States By, the U.S. population had surpassed 179 million, a gain of 19.0 percent from. The median age had decreased to 29.5 (28.7 for men and.3 for women), the first decline since 1900. The

More information

Income & expenditure of households 2005/2006. Analysis of results

Income & expenditure of households 2005/2006. Analysis of results Income & expenditure of households 2005/2006 Analysis of results General information Statistics South Africa contact information: Physical address: 170 Andries Street Pretoria 0002 South Africa Postal

More information

A Portrait of Australian Home Prices

A Portrait of Australian Home Prices A Portrait of Australian Home Prices October 2014 Key Points: Recent pronouncements from the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) and some media commentators have indicated that a continuation of dwelling price

More information

Payroll Tax, Tourism and Hospitality Industry in Australia

Payroll Tax, Tourism and Hospitality Industry in Australia Re:think Response to the tax discussion paper MAY 2015 Page 1 RESTAURANT & CATERING AUSTRALIA Restaurant & Catering Australia (R&CA) is the national industry association representing the interests of 35,000

More information

Family Net Worth in New Zealand

Family Net Worth in New Zealand Reproduction of material Material in this report may be reproduced and published, provided that it does not purport to be published under government authority and that acknowledgement is made of this source.

More information

The Effects of Taxes and Benefits on Household Income, 2010/11 Further Analysis and Methodology

The Effects of Taxes and Benefits on Household Income, 2010/11 Further Analysis and Methodology The Effects of Taxes and Benefits on Household Income, 2010/11 Further Analysis and Methodology Author Name(s): Richard Tonkin, Nathan Thomas Abstract This supplementary material is intended to provide

More information

Poverty and income growth: Measuring pro-poor growth in the case of Romania

Poverty and income growth: Measuring pro-poor growth in the case of Romania Poverty and income growth: Measuring pro-poor growth in the case of EVA MILITARU, CRISTINA STROE Social Indicators and Standard of Living Department National Scientific Research Institute for Labour and

More information

THE CAYMAN ISLANDS LABOUR FORCE SURVEY REPORT SPRING 2015

THE CAYMAN ISLANDS LABOUR FORCE SURVEY REPORT SPRING 2015 THE CAYMAN ISLANDS LABOUR FORCE SURVEY REPORT SPRING 2015 Published September 2015 Economics and Statistics Office i CONTENTS SUMMARY TABLE 1. KEY LABOUR FORCE INDICATORS BY STATUS... 1 SUMMARY TABLE 2.

More information

On average, young retirees are not

On average, young retirees are not How Financially Secure Are Young Retirees and Older Workers? FIGURE 1 Financial Status of People Age 51 to 59, by Work Status THOUSS OF DOLLARS 14 1 8 6 $82 RETIREES WORKERS $99 4 $41 $24 MEDIAN MEDIAN

More information

Income Distribution Database (http://oe.cd/idd)

Income Distribution Database (http://oe.cd/idd) Income Distribution Database (http://oe.cd/idd) TERMS OF REFERENCE OECD PROJECT ON THE DISTRIBUTION OF HOUSEHOLD INCOMES 2014/15 COLLECTION October 2014 The OECD income distribution questionnaire aims

More information

Quarterly Employment Survey: September 2008 quarter

Quarterly Employment Survey: September 2008 quarter Image description. Hot Off The Press. End of image description. Embargoed until 10:45am 3 November 2008 Quarterly Employment Survey: September 2008 quarter Highlights For the September 2008 year: Full-time

More information

Health expenditure Australia 2013 14

Health expenditure Australia 2013 14 Health expenditure Australia 2013 14 Health and welfare expenditure series No. 54 HEALTH AND WELFARE EXPENDITURE SERIES Number 54 Health expenditure Australia 2013 14 Australian Institute of Health and

More information

TRAVEL BY AUSTRALIANS

TRAVEL BY AUSTRALIANS TRAVEL BY AUSTRALIANS Quarterly results of the National Visitor Survey JUNE 2013 TRAVEL BY AUSTRALIANS Travel by Australians June 2013 Quarterly Results of the National Visitor Survey Image: Sailing,

More information

Utah Family Energy Costs as Percentage of After-Tax Income

Utah Family Energy Costs as Percentage of After-Tax Income Energy Cost Impacts on Utah Families, 2009 Energy prices, high unemployment, and stagnant incomes are straining the budgets of Utah s middle class, and impoverishing lower-income families. In 2009, Utah

More information

Economic benefits of closing the gap in Indigenous employment outcomes. Reconciliation Australia

Economic benefits of closing the gap in Indigenous employment outcomes. Reconciliation Australia Economic benefits of closing the gap in Indigenous employment outcomes Reconciliation Australia January 2014 Contents Acronyms... i Glossary... ii Executive Summary... i 1 Introduction... 1 1.1 Methodology...

More information

Forecasting Business Investment Using the Capital Expenditure Survey

Forecasting Business Investment Using the Capital Expenditure Survey Forecasting Business Investment Using the Capital Expenditure Survey Natasha Cassidy, Emma Doherty and Troy Gill* Business investment is a key driver of economic growth and is currently around record highs

More information

4 Distribution of Income, Earnings and Wealth

4 Distribution of Income, Earnings and Wealth 4 Distribution of Income, Earnings and Wealth Indicator 4.1 Indicator 4.2a Indicator 4.2b Indicator 4.3a Indicator 4.3b Indicator 4.4 Indicator 4.5a Indicator 4.5b Indicator 4.6 Indicator 4.7 Income per

More information

Tax: Are we paying our fair share?

Tax: Are we paying our fair share? Australian Council of Social Service Tax: Are we paying our fair share? The effects of the current tax mix on contributions to the tax system ACOSS Tax Talk No 1 January 2015 1 Who we are ACOSS is the

More information

Energy consumption forecasts

Energy consumption forecasts Pty Ltd ABN 85 082 464 622 Level 2 / 21 Kirksway Place Hobart TAS 7000 www.auroraenergy.com.au Enquiries regarding this document should be addressed to: Network Regulatory Manager Pty Ltd GPO Box 191 Hobart

More information

Housing Turnover and First-home Buyers

Housing Turnover and First-home Buyers Housing Turnover and First-home Buyers Paul Bloxham, Daisy McGregor and Ewan Rankin* While housing turnover varies over time, on average, around 6 per cent of the housing stock, or around dwellings, change

More information

Characteristics of families in debt and the nature of indebtedness

Characteristics of families in debt and the nature of indebtedness Department for Work and Pensions Research Report No 211 Characteristics of families in debt and the nature of indebtedness Elaine Kempson, Stephen McKay and Maxine Willitts A report of research carried

More information

Social Health Atlas of Australia: Notes on the Data

Social Health Atlas of Australia: Notes on the Data Social Health Atlas of Australia: Notes on the Data Published: June 2015 Notes on the Data: Contents Notes on the Data: Contents... 1 General information... 3 Copyright... 3 Geographical structures...

More information

Credit cards have become a noticeable

Credit cards have become a noticeable M ARCH/ APRIL 1997 Peter S. Yoo is an economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Heidi L. Beyer provided research assistance. Charging Up a Mountain of Debt: Accounting for the Growth of Credit

More information

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples Aspects of Sport and Recreation

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples Aspects of Sport and Recreation Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples Aspects of Sport and Recreation A report prepared for the Standing Committee on Recreation and Sport Research Group by the National Centre for Culture and

More information

CHAPTER 04 maintaining income adequacy in retirement

CHAPTER 04 maintaining income adequacy in retirement CHAPTER 04 Maintaining Income Adequacy in Retirement 36 Introduction 4.1 Pensioners living standards are supported by the pensions system, through Social Welfare pensions and tax-supported supplementary

More information

Submission to the Tax White Paper Taskforce review of Australia s retirement income system

Submission to the Tax White Paper Taskforce review of Australia s retirement income system 24 July 2015 Submission to the Tax White Paper Taskforce review of Australia s retirement income system About the NWRN The NWRN is the peak body for community legal services which provide legal advice

More information

AN OVERVIEW OF STATE INCOME TAXES ARKANSAS AND SURROUNDING STATES

AN OVERVIEW OF STATE INCOME TAXES ARKANSAS AND SURROUNDING STATES AN OVERVIEW OF STATE INCOME TAXES ARKANSAS AND SURROUNDING STATES A current topic of conversation among many who are concerned about economic development in Arkansas is how the State s taxation laws, particularly

More information

AMP Eligible Rollover Fund

AMP Eligible Rollover Fund AMP Eligible Rollover Fund Fact sheet Issued 30 June 2014 Issued by AMP Superannuation Limited ABN 31 008 414 104, AFSL No. 233060, the Trustee of AMP Eligible Rollover Fund ABN 32 931 224 407. Registered

More information

REAL ESTATE INSTITUTE OF AUSTRALIA SMALL BUSINESS CREDIT RESOLUTION SERVICE DISCUSSION PAPER

REAL ESTATE INSTITUTE OF AUSTRALIA SMALL BUSINESS CREDIT RESOLUTION SERVICE DISCUSSION PAPER Real Estate Institute of Australia 16 Thesiger Court I PO Box 234, Deakin ACT 2600 Phone (02) 6282 4277 I Fax (02) 6285 2444 REAL ESTATE INSTITUTE OF AUSTRALIA SMALL BUSINESS CREDIT RESOLUTION SERVICE

More information

Patterns of employment

Patterns of employment Patterns of employment Nursing is a very broad profession. Nurses perform several roles in many different areas of practice at a variety of different locations (work settings), both in the public and private

More information

Report 1: Data Analysis. Labour market and training issues in the baking industry

Report 1: Data Analysis. Labour market and training issues in the baking industry Report 1: Data Analysis Labour market and training issues in the baking industry March 2011 R e p o r t 1 : D a t a A n a l y s i s P a g e 1 Contents Index of Figures and Tables... 2 Executive Summary...

More information

Survey of Family, Income and Employment Dynamics (Wave 2) September 2004

Survey of Family, Income and Employment Dynamics (Wave 2) September 2004 Embargoed until 10:45 am 04 November 2005 Survey of Family, Income and Employment Dynamics (Wave 2) September 2004 Highlights There were 578,600 people in a one parent with child(ren) family at some stage

More information

HOME BUILDING & CONTENTS INSURANCE BRIEFING NOTE

HOME BUILDING & CONTENTS INSURANCE BRIEFING NOTE HOME BUILDING & CONTENTS INSURANCE BRIEFING NOTE Key Points The average home building insurance premium has increased by 57% over the last 3 years. 1 The average home contents premium increase is 18.2

More information

Negative Equity and House Price Risk in Australia

Negative Equity and House Price Risk in Australia Negative Equity and House Price Risk in Australia Wood, G. & Parkinson, S. February 5 th 2009 Gavin Wood & Sharon Parkinson AHURI RMIT Research Centre Bldg 15 Level 4, GPO Box 2476V, Melbourne, Vic 3001

More information

APPENDIX A The PSID Sample and Family Income

APPENDIX A The PSID Sample and Family Income 1 APPENDIX A The PSID Sample and Family Income The sample for this analysis is 2,367 individuals who were between the ages of 0 and 18 in 1968 and have been tracked into adulthood through the Panel Study

More information

Who benefits from private health insurance in Australia?

Who benefits from private health insurance in Australia? THE AUSTRALIA INSTITUTE Who benefits from private health insurance in Australia? March 2005 Richard Denniss The Federal Government strongly encourages increased reliance on private health insurance to

More information

MYOB Australian Small Business Survey

MYOB Australian Small Business Survey MYOB Australian Small Business Survey August 2004 (Quarter 3) Small Business Survey Report Prepared for MYOB Prepared by AMR Interactive AMR Interactive Contact: Chris Caley Survey Project Manager Email:

More information

Contact us. Hoa Bui T: + 61 (02) 9335 8938 E: hbui@kpmg.com.au. Briallen Cummings T: + 61 (02) 9335 7940 E: bcummings01@kpmg.com.au. www.kpmg.com.

Contact us. Hoa Bui T: + 61 (02) 9335 8938 E: hbui@kpmg.com.au. Briallen Cummings T: + 61 (02) 9335 7940 E: bcummings01@kpmg.com.au. www.kpmg.com. Contact us Hoa Bui T: + 61 (02) 9335 8938 E: hbui@kpmg.com.au Briallen Cummings T: + 61 (02) 9335 7940 E: bcummings01@kpmg.com.au www.kpmg.com.au No reliance This report should not be regarded as suitable

More information

Estimated company tax, MRRT, carbon tax and royalties expenses for the minerals sector. Report prepared for the Minerals Council of Australia

Estimated company tax, MRRT, carbon tax and royalties expenses for the minerals sector. Report prepared for the Minerals Council of Australia Estimated company tax, MRRT, carbon tax and royalties expenses for the minerals sector Report prepared for the Minerals Council of Australia September 2013 Dr John Kunkel Deputy Chief Executive Minerals

More information

Measuring National Well-being - Personal Finance, 2012

Measuring National Well-being - Personal Finance, 2012 Measuring National Well-being - Personal Finance, 2012 Author Name(s): Carla Seddon Office for National Statistics Abstract This article is published as part of the Office for National Statistics (ONS)

More information

ON LABOUR AND INCOME. JUNE 2002 Vol. 3, No. 6 HOUSING: AN INCOME ISSUE PENSIONS: IMMIGRANTS AND VISIBLE MINORITIES.

ON LABOUR AND INCOME. JUNE 2002 Vol. 3, No. 6 HOUSING: AN INCOME ISSUE PENSIONS: IMMIGRANTS AND VISIBLE MINORITIES. Catalogue no. 75-001-XIE ON LABOUR AND INCOME JUNE 2002 Vol. 3, No. 6 HOUSING: AN INCOME ISSUE PENSIONS: IMMIGRANTS AND VISIBLE MINORITIES Statistics Canada Statistique Canada Sophie Lefebvre HOUSING IS

More information