STATISTICS PRESENTED IN THIS PUBLICATION
This publication presents a range of social and housing statistics produced from the 2001 Census of Population and Housing for Victoria. For comparative purposes, it includes 1996 Census data presented on 2001 Census geography. In addition, selected 1901 Census data are included for each State in table 1 to mark Australia's Centenary of Federation in 2001. The tables in this publication provide selected characteristics of the population and their housing arrangements for Statistical Divisions(SDs), Statistical Subdivisions (SSDs) and Statistical Local Areas (SLAs). The purpose of these tables is to allow a broad comparison of characteristics between geographic areas. This publication also contains the Basic Community Profile (BCP) for Victoria. This set of tables is provided to illustrate the wide range of data available from the Census. The BCP consists of 33 tables. This publication contains the first 21 tables which focus on the social and housing characteristics. The remainder of the BCP, tables 22 to 33, will be published in Census of Population and Housing: Selected Education and Labour Force Characteristics for Statistical Local Areas, Victoria (Cat. no. 2017.2). The statistics in this publication are mostly presented on the basis of where people were counted on Census Night ('as enumerated' counts). Counts of people based on where they usually live ('usual residence' counts) are also provided.
Census counts should not be confused with the Australian Bureau of Statistics' (ABS) official population estimate, the Estimated Resident Population (ERP) which is used for electoral purposes and in assisting in the distribution of government funds to state and local governments. ERP is the definitive population estimate and is derived from the census counts. For example, ERP includes an estimate of Australians temporarily overseas. For a fuller description of population measures and the derivation of ERP, please see paragraphs 7, 8 and 9 of the Explanatory Notes. Appendix 1 includes a table showing census counts and ERP for each State and Territory. One of the important features of the Census is that it describes the characteristics of Australia's population and housing for small geographic areas and small population groups. While not available in this publication, data at the smallest geographic level Collection District (CD) are available in a range of census products. For more information on these products, please refer to Appendix 2 - Census Products and Services. Concepts and definitions used in this publication are explained in the Glossary and more detailed information is available in the 2001 Census Dictionary (Cat. no. 2901.0). The Explanatory Notes in this publication provide a discussion of the scope and coverage of the Census, the different measures of population, and the limitations of census data. This publication is one of a series of publications which provide data at the SLA level for each State and Territory. A similar publication is also available for the whole of Australia, providing data at SSD level. See Appendix 2 (Census Products and Services) for more information.
SUMMARY OF FINDINGS
The Census of Population and Housing conducted on 7 August 2001 counted 4,644,950 people in Victoria on Census Night. This represents an increase of 6.2% (271,430 people) in Victoria's population since the 1996 Census (4,373,520 people). Of those counted in Australia on Census Night, 4,660,991 people were usual residents of Victoria.
Selected person characteristics
The median age in Victoria was 35 years in 2001 compared with 33 years in 1996. The proportion of people aged 65 years and over increased to 12.7% (588,002 people) in 2001, from 12.0% in 1996. The proportion of people aged 0-14 years decreased to 20.4% (946,933 people) in 2001, from 21.2% in 1996. The proportion of males and females in the population has remained stable, with more females (50.9%) than males (49.1%). New topics for the 2001 Census included Computer use at home and Internet use. For Victoria a higher proportion of males (45.6%) used a personal computer at home than females (41.3%). This compares with 43.5% of males and 40.5% of females for Australia. Similarly, a higher proportion of males (30.9%) than females (26.2%) used the Internet at home in Victoria, consistent with the national figures.
Selected ethnic characteristics
The majority of people counted in Victoria were Australian born (71.1% or 3,277,054 people). This compares with 72.6% for Australia. The largest overseas born group comprised people born in the United Kingdom at 4.5% (205,542 people) followed by Italy at 2.0% (90,056 people). English was the only language spoken at home by 75.3% (3,474,068 people) of the population, compared with 80.0% for Australia. Of those people who spoke a language other than English at home, the highest proportion spoke Italian (3.2% or 149,185 people), followed by Greek (2.7% or 122,351 people) and Chinese languages (2.5% or 113,129 people).
The number of people who identified as being of Indigenous origin increased by 16.8% to 25,078 people in 2001, up from 21,474 people in 1996. The Indigenous population represented 0.5% of the Victorian population, compared with 2.2% for Australia.
There were 1,918,583 dwellings counted in Victoria, an increase of 8.2% (145,363 dwellings) since 1996. Of these dwellings, 90.2% (1,731,343) were occupied private dwellings, 9.5% (182,868) were unoccupied private dwellings and 0.2% (4,350) were non-private dwellings.
Occupied private dwellings
Dwellings which were fully owned or being purchased accounted for 70.7% of the 1,731,343 occupied private dwellings in Victoria. For the occupied private dwellings being purchased (480,800 dwellings), the median monthly housing loan repayment was 850. The median weekly rent for the 22.1% of occupied private dwellings being rented 382,981 dwellings) was $155.
Of the 1,731,343 households counted in 2001, 69.7% (1,206,226 households) were family households, a decrease from 71.3% in 1996. The proportion of lone person households increased to 23.0% (397,415 households), up from 22.4% in 1996. The proportion of group households fell to 3.7% (64,046 households) in 2001, down from 3.9% in 1996.
The Census shows that 50.3% of all Victorian households (871,181 households) used a personal computer at home in the week prior to the Census. This compares with 48.6% of all households for Australia. For the same period, over one third of Victorian households (37.0% or 640,484 households) reported using the Internet at home, compared with 36.1% for Australia.
The 2001 Census counted 1,222,690 families in Victoria, an increase of 6.1% since 1996. In 2001 almost half (48.8% or 596,686 families) of all families were couples with children, down from 51.5% in 1996. There were corresponding increases in the proportion of couple families without children (34.4%), up from 32.6% in 1996, and one parent families (14.8%), up from 14.0% in 1996.