ABS CPI June quarter 2010 up 0.6%

The Australian Bureau of Statistics Consumer Price Index rose 0.6% in the June quarter 2010, compared with a rise of 0.9% in the March quarter 2010.

The most significant price rises this quarter were for tobacco (+15.4%), hospital and medical services (+3.8%), automotive fuel (+2.1%), rents (+1.1%) and house purchase (+0.6%).

The most significant offsetting price falls were for domestic holiday travel and accommodation (-6.0%), fruit (-4.8%), audio, visual and computing equipment (-6.3%), vegetables (-3.0%) and overseas holiday travel and accommodation (-1.9%).

The ABS CPI rose 3.1% through the year to June quarter 2010, compared with a rise of 2.9% through the year to March quarter 2010.

Source: ABS

How healthy is Australia?

Results of the 2007-08 National Health Survey (NHS) showed that the majority of Australians consider themselves to be in very good or excellent health.

Over half of people aged 15 years and over (56%) considered their overall health to be very good or excellent, and 29% stated that their health was good. In contrast, 15% of people aged 15 years or more said their health was fair/poor.

These rates are similar to 2004-05 at 56%, 28% and 16% respectively.

The proportion of people reporting fair or poor health increased with age, from 7% of those aged 15-24 years to 32% of those aged 65 years and over.

Although most people reported they were in good health or better, 77% of the total population reported that they had one or more current long term medical conditions.

The most commonly reported long term conditions were problems with eyesight, 52% of the population, including long and short sightedness (26% and 23% respectively), arthritis (15%), asthma (10%), hayfever and allergic rhinitis (15%) and hypertensive disease (9%). Other commonly reported conditions were, back and disc disorders (14%) and deafness (10%).

Children and young adults

The most commonly reported conditions among children and young adults were respiratory conditions (17% of children under 15 years and 28% of persons aged 15-24 years), with asthma being the most prevalent for children aged under 15 (10%) and hayfever and allergic rhinitis for those aged 15-24 (17%).

Older people

While respiratory conditions were also common among people aged 65 years and over (29%), other conditions were more prevalent in this age group. Sight conditions, arthritis, hypertension and hearing loss were the most common long term conditions among those aged 65 years and over.

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics

Large population growth in outer suburbs: ABS

Large population growth occurred in the outer suburbs of the capital cities in the 12 months to 30 June 2008, according to population estimates released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

The largest increases in each state and territory occurred on the fringes of capital city Statistical Divisions (SDs). The most significant was the outer-suburban Local Government Area (LGA) of Wyndham in Victoria increasing by 8,900 with Wanneroo in Western Australia and Blacktown in NSW increasing by 8,600 and 5,300 respectively.

In the smaller states and territories, the largest growth was experienced in the outer-suburban LGAs of Salisbury in South Australia (2,400), Palmerston in the Northern Territory (1,500) and Kingborough in Tasmania (630).

In the Australian Capital Territory, where LGAs do not exist, the Statistical Local Area (SLA) with the largest growth was Harrison (1,550), and in Queensland, where the Brisbane LGA covers multiple SLAs, the outer-suburban Ipswich – East SLA increased by 3,700 people.

Capital city growth remains strong

Capital city SDs accounted for over two-thirds of the total growth with the overall population in capital city SDs increasing by 1.8%, which is slightly higher than the remainder of Australia (1.6%).

In the capital cities, the City of Brisbane LGA recorded the largest growth (17,400 people) while the City of Perth was Australia’s fastest-growing LGA increasing at a rate of 10.8%.

Coastal hotspots

Queensland’s seaboard continued to experience large growth. In the south-east, the Gold Coast LGA increased by 13,200 people, Moreton Bay by 11,800 and the Sunshine Coast by 8,700; while further north, the population grew by 6,000 people in Cairns and by 5,100 in Townsville.

Rapid growth was recorded along the Western Australian coast in Mandurah (5.1%) and Busselton (4.6%) and in South Australia, the fastest growing of all seaside LGAs was Victor Harbor (3.5%).

Download ABS report

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