Purpose of this Appendix The Australian Government is pleased to present this Appendix to Australia’s fifth report under articles 16 and 17 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR). This Appendix provides general information and statistics about Australia’s population (including indigenous peoples and migration), cultural and linguist diversity, economy, health systems and media. The purpose of this Appendix is to provide the committee with additional context on contemporary Australia. Population A national Census of Population and Housing is conducted every five years, with the last census conducted in 2011. At the end of June 2014, Australia had a population of approximately 23,490,700 people. Australia’s population is concentrated along the southern and eastern coastal region from Adelaide to Cairns, with an additional concentration in Perth in Western Australia. The most populous states are New South Wales and Victoria, and their respective capitals, Sydney and Melbourne, the largest cities in Australia. At June 2013, close to two-thirds of Australia’s population resided in a greater capital city region. Indigenous Australians The estimated resident Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population of Australia at 30 June 2011 was 669,881 people or 3% of the total population. Since 2006, there has been a 30% increase in the estimated resident population for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, reflecting both demographic changes and a growing propensity to identify Indigenous status in the census. In 2011, around 79% of Indigenous Australians lived in regional and metropolitan areas, and 21% in remote and very remote areas. While only 14% of Indigenous Australians lived in very remote areas, they made up a large proportion of Australians living in very remote areas (45%). New South Wales and Queensland have the largest Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations.
Purpose of this Appendix The Australian Government is pleased to present this Appendix to Australia’s fifth report under articles 16 and 17 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR). This Appendix provides general information and statistics about Australia’s population (including indigenous peoples and migration), cultural and linguist diversity, economy, health systems and media. The purpose of this Appendix is to provide the committee with additional context on contemporary Australia. Population A national Census of Population and Housing is conducted every five years, with the last census conducted in 2011. At the end of June 2014, Australia had a population of approximately 23,490,700 people. Australia’s population is concentrated along the southern and eastern coastal region from Adelaide to Cairns, with an additional concentration in Perth in Western Australia. The most populous states are New South Wales and Victoria, and their respective capitals, Sydney and Melbourne, the largest cities in Australia. At June 2013, close to two-thirds of Australia’s population resided in a greater capital city region. Indigenous Australians The estimated resident Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population of Australia at 30 June 2011 was 669,881 people or 3% of the total population. Since 2006, there has been a 30% increase in the estimated resident population for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, reflecting both demographic changes and a growing propensity to identify Indigenous status in the census. In 2011, around 79% of Indigenous Australians lived in regional and metropolitan areas, and 21% in remote and very remote areas. While only 14% of Indigenous Australians lived in very remote areas, they made up a large proportion of Australians living in very remote areas (45%). New South Wales and Queensland have the largest Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations.
final-icescr-report-appendix-3.docx