Poverty fact sheet

fact sheet

Poverty Tasmania is not a wealthy state overall, and the gulf between top and bottom earners in the State also is large.

Average weekly personal income, Tasmanian and national, May 20151

Tasmania: $961.50

Average Tasmanian disposable household weekly income, by income quintile, 2013-142

Q1 (poorest): $311

Australia: $1136.60

Q2: $460 Q3: $615 Q4: $798 Q5: $1,243

Income share, 2013-143

Q1 (poorest): 9.2% Q2: 13.3% Q3: 17.6% Q4: 22.8% Q5 (richest): 37.1%

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Proportion of population classified as low income, 2013144

Tasmania: 52.4%

Proportion of population with government pensions/allowances as the primary source of income, 2011-125

50%-90% of income: 11.5%

ABS 6302, Average Weekly Earnings, Australia, Tables 11F and 1.

ABS 6523, Household Income and Wealth, 2013-14.

3 ABS 6523, Household Income and Wealth, 2013-14.

4 ABS 4130, Housing Occupancy and Costs, 2013-14, Table 20 5 ABS 6523, Household Income and Income Distribution, 2011-12.

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Australia: 40.5%

90%+ of income: 20.9%

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A high proportion of Tasmania’s population is at risk of poverty.

Risk of poverty in Tasmania (calculated as 50% of median income), 2014 6

All of state: 15.1% Hobart: 13.8% Balance of state: 16%

Risk of poverty in Tasmania (calculated as 60% of median income), 2014 7

All of state: 25.8% Hobart: 20.7% Balance of state: 29.2%

Proportion of children under 15 in low income families, 20128

All of state: 25% Launceston: 27% Northern Region: 26%

Proportion of children under 15 in jobless households, 20129

All of state: 23%

Proportion of people who could not obtain $2000 in a week for something important

2013: 12.2%.10

Launceston: 21%

In the bottom two quintiles, 2009-10: 24.3%11

Poverty is located across the state, not just in the urban fringes.

Local Government Areas by deciles of relative socioeconomic advantage and disadvantage (Australia), 201112

Out of 29 LGAs: In the lowest decile: 5 (Break O’Day, Brighton, Derwent Valley, George Town, West Coast) In the lowest quintile: 14 (as above plus Burnie, Central Highlands, Devonport, Dorset, Glamorgan/Spring Bay, Glenorchy, Southern Midlands, Tasman, Waratah/Wynyard) In the lowest third: 18 (as above plus Circular Head, Huon Valley, Kentish, Launceston) In the top decile: -In the top quintile: 2 (Hobart, Kingborough) In the top third: 2 (Hobart, Kingborough)

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ACOSS 2014.

ACOSS 2014.

8 State of Launceston’s Children 2012: Kids Come First.

9 State of Launceston’s Children 2012: ABS Tasmanian Regional Profile.

10 Tasmanian Population Health Survey, 2013.

11 ABS 6530, Household Expenditure Survey, 2009-10.

12 ABS, SocioEconomic Indices for Areas, 2011.

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3

Some groups are at a much higher risk of poverty than the average.

Personal and household weekly income by indigenous status, 2011

Median total personal income   

Indigenous households: $395 Non-indigenous households: $503 Indigenous to non-indigenous ratio: 0.79

Median total household income:   

Indigenous: $923 Non-indigenous: $949 Indigenous to non-indigenous ratio: 0.97

Persons per household:  

Indigenous: 3.0 Non-indigenous: 2.4

If you on a low income, you are more likely to find it difficult to: 

Find and stay in housing

Percentage of rental properties affordable to lowincome renters, April 201513

1842 properties in total, of which were affordable: 





Proportion of low income renters paying more than 30% of income on housing, 2014. 14



33.8%

Seek medical help

Proportion of population deferring medical care due to cost, 201415

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For people on Newstart and Youth Allowance, including single parents with youngest children over 8: Between 4 and 12 properties in total across the state.

For parents with youngest children under 8: Between 1% (27) and 5% (85) properties across the state.

For people receiving the Aged Pension: Between 7% (128) and 15% (270) of properties across the state.

GP visit: 6.9% Prescription medication: 8.0%

Anglicare Rental Affordability Snapshot 2015.

Report on Government Services 2015: Housing, Sector Overview, 2015, Table GA.5.

15 Report on Government Services 2015: Health, Sector Overview, Table E.5 14

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If you live in a poor area, you are more likely to: 

Be unwell and die earlier

Estimated rate per population aged 15+ with fair or poor self-assessed health, by quintile of socioeconomic disadvantage of area, 201116

Q1 (richest): 12.4%

Estimated proportion of population with high or very high levels of psychological distress, 201117

Q1 (richest): 6.4%

Median age at death, 201118

Q1 (richest): 82

Q5 (poorest): 26.9%

Q5 (poorest): 13.0%

Q5 (poorest): 78



Be unemployed or have parents who are unemployed

Unemployment, 201119

Q1 (richest): 3.5% Q5 (poorest): 14.5%

Long-term (6+ months) unemployment, 201120

Q1 (richest): 3% Q5 (poorest): 10.8%

Proportion of children in jobless households, 201121

Q1 (richest): 9.6% Q5 (poorest): 26.6%



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Have a child who is developmentally vulnerable, who is not participating in school full-time, or who is not fully engaged in either education or work

Proportion of children classified as developmentally vulnerable on 2+ developmental domains, 201222

Q1 (richest): 7.6%

Full-time participation in secondary school education at age 16, 201123

Q1 (richest): 78.7%

Proportion of population aged 15-19 fully engaged in education or work24

Q1 (richest): 83.7%

PHIDU 2015, Monitoring Inequality in Australia: Tasmania.

PHIDU 2015, Monitoring Inequality in Australia: Tasmania.

18 PHIDU 2015, Monitoring Inequality in Australia: Tasmania.

19 PHIDU 2015, Monitoring Inequality in Australia: Tasmania.

20 PHIDU 2015, Monitoring Inequality in Australia: Tasmania.

21 PHIDU 2012: 2011 Census.

22 www.aedc.gov.au/data, 2012 23 PHIDU 2015, Monitoring Inequality in Australia: Tasmania.

24 PHIDU 2015, Monitoring Inequality in Australia: Tasmania.

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Q5 (poorest): 17.2%

Q5 (poorest): 60.5%

Q5 (poorest): 73.5%

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Unemployment by LGA, highest to lowest, March 201525

Brighton: 11.9% Derwent Valley: 11.6% Tasman: 11.5% Break O’Day: 11.3% George Town: 10.6% Burnie: 9.7% Glenorchy: 9.5% West Coast: 9.3% Devonport: 9.2% Huon Valley: 9.2% Central Highlands: 8.8% Launceston: 8.4% Kentish: 7.6% Southern Midlands: 7.2% Waratah/Wynyard: 7.1% Glamorgan/Spring Bay: 6.9% Flinders: 6.8% Dorset: 6.7% Central Coast: 6.5% Sorell: 5.7% Clarence: 5.4% Northern Midlands: 5.2% Latrobe: 5.2% Circular Head: 4.9% West Tamar: 4.7% Meander Valley: 4.6% Hobart: 4.3% Kingborough: 3.8% King Island: 2.8%

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Department of Employment, Small Area Labour Markets, LGA data tables, March 2015.