ABS data is an important resource for many social researchers. Current data and publications are made freely available and updated daily. Here are just a few important statistical publications and initiatives that have been released in the past few months. These releases will be useful for many students and researchers.
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has released a new report on welfare spending by governments in Australia; it documents spending increases over the past 8 years and shows families and the aged as the major beneficiaries. The report titled Welfare Expenditure in Australia 2005-06 provides estimates of welfare expenditure in Australia for the period 1998-99 to 2005-06 and is available online from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare's website. On a related topic is a recent research report by Peter Saunders from The Social Policy Research Centre at the University of NSW. The report is called Towards New Indicators of Disadvantage, Deprivation and Social Exclusion in Australia and is available from the centre's website. To check Fisher Library's catalogue holdings in this research area search under the subject heading 'Public Welfare Australia'.
Did you miss Foreign Correspondent last Tuesday? Need to follow television coverage of the 2007 Election! Do you or your students need access to Australian television news, current affairs and selected documentaries for teaching and research? You can access this content via a new database, TVNews. This database is on trial until 31 December 2007.
Earlier this month the Australian Parliamentary Library released the research paper Electoral division rankings: Census 2006. This paper is one of many sources that will be of interest to anyone researching the current election and electoral information. The paper "provides an analysis by Commonwealth electoral division of socio-demographic data from the first release of the 2006 Census of Population and Housing." The rankings provide an interesting electoral snapshot on a range of variables. Which electorate has the most children aged under 5 years, persons born overseas, the highest median weekly family income, lone person households or households with an internet connection? Rankings are available for the following categories: population, religion, ethnicity, families, income, education and dwellings.
There have many requests for information relating to the Government interventions in the Northern Territory. Key reports including Ampe akelyernemane meke mekarle "Little children are sacred" are available online and via the Library catalogue.
There are many information resources that provide useful research and background information relevent to government actions in relation to Aboriginal communities. The Australian Parliamentary Library publishes a Bills digest. Documents relating to the recent measures can be quickly located and downloaded. The Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Amendment (Township Leasing) Bill 2007 , the Corporations (Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander) Consequential, Transitional and Other Measures Bill 2006 and the Corporations Amendment (Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander Corporations) Bill 2006 are all available from this site. The Parliamentary Library also publishes Research briefs on many political and social issues. The Domestic violence e- brief provides links to earlier reports on conditions in Aboriginal communities.
Interested in International comparisons between Australia and other countries? Australia Fair: International Comparisons 2007 released by the Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS) on the 30th of August uses current data to compare a range of social indicators with the situation in other OECD countries.
"Since 1995, full-time jobs for older Australians have risen by more than one million but declinded by 14,000 for teenagers and 52,000 for young adults."These new figures are revealed in the eigth annual review conducted by the Dusseldorp Skills Forum into Australian youth and their participation in learning and work. The report entitled How Young People are Faring 2006 is available on the Dusseldorp Skills Forum Website. The report was written by Mike Long from Monash University-ACER Centre for the Economics of Education and Training.
The following information was provided by Australian Consortium for Social and Political Research Incorporated (ACSPRI)
The ACSPRI Winter Program 2007St Lucia Campus, University of Queensland, Brisbane
25 June - 6 July 2007
Bookings are now open for the ACSPRI Winter Program 2007 which will be held at the St Lucia Campus, University of Queensland in Brisbane, from 25 June - 6 July 2007. This Winter Program in social research and research technology comprises two separate weeks of 5-day courses, with attendees able to attend no more than one course in each week.
The deadline for receipt of all early-bird course fees (info given below) will be c.o.b. 10 May 2007 . After that date the normal (non-early-bird) course fee rate will apply.