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Profile of Children and Young People in WA
November 2017
Contents
Population 5
Aboriginal children and young people 7
Gender 7
Geographical distribution 7
Births 8
Projected growth 10
Education, Care and Home 11
Childhood and care 11
School education 11
Family composition 14
Housing 16
Vulnerability and Hardship 19
Children and young people in the juvenile justice system 20
Children and young people in out-of-home care 21
Children and young people with disability 21
Children and young people living in poverty 22
Recognising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander PeopleThe Commissioner for Children and Young People WA acknowledges the unique contribution of Aboriginal people’s culture and heritage to Western Australian society. For the purposes of this report, the term ‘Aboriginal’ encompasses Western Australia’s diverse language groups and also recognises those of Torres Strait Islander descent. The use of the term ‘Aboriginal’ in this way is not intended to imply equivalence between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, though similarities do exist.
Suggested citationCommissioner for Children and Young People 2017, Profile of Children and Young People in WA,Commissioner for Children and Young People WA, Perth.
Alternative formatsOn request, large print or alternative format copies of this report can be obtainedfrom the Commissioner for Children and Young People at:
Commissioner for Children and Young People WAGround Floor, 1 Alvan StreetSubiaco WA 6008Telephone: 08 6213 2297Facsimile: 08 6213 2220Email: [email protected]: ccyp.wa.gov.au
ISBN: 978-0-9925925-3-0
Western Australia’schildren and young people
The number of WA children and young people is projected to increase by
almost 93 per cent, to just over
1.2 million by 2056.
There are about 38,000 Aboriginalchildren and young people aged under18 years living in WA. Children and youngpeople aged under 18 years comprise37.9 per cent of the total WAAboriginal population.
In the last 10 years, there hasbeen a 26 per cent increase inthe number of children aged 0 to 8 years living in WA.
Around 152,000 or26 per cent of children
and young people in WAlive in regional and
remote areas.
WA’s population of children andyoung people is projected to
increase by 31 per cent to morethan 800,000 by 2025.
31%
Aboriginalpopulation
Over 18
37.9%0-– 17yrs
Aboriginal childrenand young people
3 Commissioner for Children and Young People Western Australia
93%increaseby 2056
There were35,652 birthsregistered in WA
during 2016.
Approximately
children and young people live inWestern Australia, who comprise23 per cent of the state’spopulation.(Australian Bureau of Statistics,Australian Demographic Statistics, December 2016)
589,000
26%increase
Profile of Children and Young People in WA
Western Australia is home to almost 590,000 children and young people
Western Australia (WA) is home to 588,973 children aged 0 to 17 years, which is 22.5 per cent of WA’s total population and 10.8 per cent of the national population of children and young people.
Between June 2015 and June 2016, the number of children and young people in WA increased by 0.8 per cent (Table 1).
Table 1: Children and young people aged 0 to 17 years: number and in per cent, WA and Australia, 2015 and 2016
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics 2017, Australian Demographic Statistics, December 2016* Figure includes other territories comprising Jervis Bay Territory, Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands.
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics 2017, Australian Demographic Statistics, June 2016
From 2006 to 2016, the number of 0 to 17 year-olds in WA increased by more than 93,000 or18.8 per cent. The strongest increase (30.2%) occurred in the early childhood age group of0 to eight years – the result of a high birth rate in recent years (Table 2).
Table 2: Children and young people aged 0 to 17 years: number and in per cent, by age group, WA, 2006 and 2016
2015 2016 Proportion of state/national population
Proportion of Australia's children and young people
Increase from 2015 to 2016
Number Number Per cent Per cent Per cent
WA 584,301 588,973 22.5 10.8 0.8
Australia* 5,341,319 5,439,827 22.1 100.0 1.8
2006 2016 Difference from 2006 to 2016
Number Number Per cent Per cent Number
0 to 8 years 237,576 309,368 52.5 30.2 71,792
9 to 14 years 170,389 187,200 31.8 9.9 16,811
15 to 17 years 87,650 92,405 15.7 5.4 4,755
Total 0 to 17 years
495,615
588,973
100
18.8
93,358
Commissioner for Children and Young People Western Australia 6
Population
7 Commissioner for Children and Young People Western Australia
Population
Commissioner for Children and Young People Western Australia 8
Profile of Children and Young People in WA
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics 2017, Australian Demographic Statistics, June 2016, cat. no. 3101.0
Figure 1: Population growth among children and young people aged 0 to 17 years: number, by age group, WA, 2006 and 2016
350,000
300,000
250,000
200,000
150,000
100,000
50,000
0 to 8 years 9 to 14 years 15 to 17 years0
2006
2016
Aboriginal children and young peopleThere are approximately 38,000 Aboriginal children and young people in WA. Children and young people account for 38 per cent of WA’s total population of Aboriginal people.1
GenderThe gender distribution of children and young people in WA is 51.2 per cent male and 48.8 per cent female, which is consistent with most Australian states and territories and the national distribution.2
Geographical distributionThe geographical distribution of children and young people across WA remains largely unchanged. In 2016, around 74 per cent of the population of 0 to 17 year-olds resided in metropolitan Perth, just under 17 per cent resided in regional areas3 and just under 10 per cent in remote areas4 of WA.
Between June 2012 and June 2016,the number of children and young people increased in the metropolitan area by 6.4 per cent and in the regional areas by two per cent (accounted for by the Mandurah and Bunbury regions; the Wheatbelt recorded a decrease of 5.0%). In the remote parts of WA, the population has decreased by1.4% overall, with increases only occurringin the Pilbara and the Kimberley regions(7.6% and 0.9% respectively). In other remote parts of WA the population has decreased slightly (Table 3).
51.2%
48.8%
1 Australian Bureau of Statistics 2017, Experimental Estimates and Projections, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, 1991 to 2021, cat. no. 3238.0, ABS.Stat Dataset, ‘Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Population Projections, State/Territory’, viewed 24 August 2017, <www.stat.data.abs.gov.au/Index.aspx?Queryid=44>2 Australian Bureau of Statistics 2016, Australian Demographic Statistics, June 2016, cat. no. 3101.0, viewed 12 July 2017, <www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/[email protected]/allprimarymainfeatures/9D56A542A17EF188CA2580EB001335A8?opendocument>3 Includes Mandurah, Bunbury and Wheatbelt. For more information on the exact geography of these regions see Australian Bureau of Statistics 2011, Australian Standard Geographical Classification (ASGC), July 2011, cat. no. 1216.0, Publications: Western Australia ASGC Edition 2011 pdf maps [website], viewed 20 October 2017, <www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/[email protected]/DetailsPage/1216.0July%202011?OpenDocument>4 Includes Esperance, Goldfields, Mid-West, Gascoyne, Pilbara and Kimberley. For more information on the exact geography of these regions see Australian Bureau of Statistics 2011, Australian Standard Geographical Classification (ASGC), July 2011, cat. no. 1216.0, Publications: Western Australia ASGC Edition 2011 pdf maps [website], viewed 20 October 2017, <www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/[email protected]/DetailsPage/1216.0July%202011?OpenDocument>
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics 2017, Estimated Resident Population (ERP), Customised Report June 2016 (unpublished)Totals may not add up to 100 per cent due to rounding.Notes:(a) Includes Mandurah, Bunbury and Wheatbelt.(b) Includes Esperance, Goldfields, Mid-West, Gascoyne, Pilbara and Kimberley.
BirthsThe most current statistics from the WA Registryof Births, Deaths and Marriages show the number of births in 2016 has increased slightly by 0.9 per cent compared to 2015, with 35,652 births registered.5
The most recent Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data shows there were 35,135 births registered in WAin 2015, a slight decrease from 2014 where therewere 35,403 births. The 2015 figure represents a0.75 per cent decrease in births since 2014 (35,403)and a 33.9 per cent increase since 2005 (26,253)(Figure 2).
5 WA Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages 2017, Statistics [website], viewed 18 July 2017, <www.bdm.dotag.wa.gov.au/S/statistics.aspx?uid=4567-3246-1975-5827>
Table 3: Geographical distribution of children aged 0 to 17 years: number, by age group, regions of WA, 2016
0 to 8 years
9 to 14 years
15 to 17 years
Total 0 to 17 years
Increase or
decrease - 2012 to
2016
Proportion of WA
children
Number Number Number Number Per cent Per cent
Perth 230,018 137,458 68,979 436,455 6.4 74.0
WA regional (a) 49,059 32,715 15,747 97,521 2.0 16.5
Mandurah 11,313 7,201 3,575 22,089 5.7 3.7
Bunbury 22,053 15,072 7,373 44,498 5.1 7.5
Wheatbelt 15,693 10,442 4,799 30,934 -5.3 5.2
WA remote (b) 30,471 17,027 7,679 55,177 -1.4 9.3
Esperance 1,993 1,364 724 4,081 -5.6 0.7
Goldfields 5,941 3,203 1,504 10,648 -7.6 1.8
Midwest 6,701 4,443 2,255 13,399 -6.0 2.3
Gascoyne 1,287 761 266 2,314 -1.1 0.4
Pilbara 8,747 3,957 1,601 14,305 7.0 2.4
Kimberley 5,802 3,299 1,329 10,430 0.9 1.8
Total WA 309,548 187,266 92,405 589,513 5.0 100.0
0.9%increase
since 2015
35.8%increase
since 2005
Population
9 Commissioner for Children and Young People Western Australia
Profile of Children and Young People in WA
Figure 2: Number of births: WA, 2005 to 2015
The median age of all mothers for births registered in2015 was 30.7 years (an increase on the median age of30.4 recorded in 2005), while the median age of fathers was 32.9 years (also a slight increase on the median ageof 32.8 recorded in 2005).6
There were 2,989 births (8.5% of all births) registered in WA during 2015 where at least one parent recorded themselves as Aboriginal on their child’s birth registration form. The median age of Aboriginal women who registered a birth was 25.4 years, more than five years less than the median age of all mothers (30.7 years).7
6 Australian Bureau of Statistics 2017, Births, Australia, 2015, cat. no. 3301.0, ABS.Stat Dataset, ‘Births, summary, by state’, viewed 12 July 2017, <www.stat.data.abs.gov.au//Index.aspx?QueryId=524>7 Australian Bureau of Statistics 2017, Births, Australia, 2015, cat. no. 3301.0, ABS.Stat Dataset, ‘Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander fertility, by age, by state’, viewed 12 July 2017, <www.stat.data.abs.gov.au/Index.aspx?QueryId=525>
40,000
Nu
mber
35,000
30,000
25,000
20,000
15,000
10,000
5,000
0 2005 2008 2011 20142006 2009 2012 20152007 2010 2013
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics 2016, Births, Australia, 2015, cat. no. 3301.0
Commissioner for Children and Young People Western Australia 10
The majority of Aboriginal births (31.4%) are to mothers aged 20 to 24 years. In comparison,the majority of non-Aboriginal births (36.2%) are to mothers aged 30 to 34 years of age (Figure 3).
Over the past decade, the total number of births in the 15 to 19 year-old cohort has declined by20 per cent, from 1,392 in 2006 to 1,114 in 2015. However, the number of Aboriginal births in the same age cohort has increased, from 398 in 2006 to 481 in 2015.8
8 ibid9 Australian Bureau of Statistics 2017, Population Projections, Australia, cat. no. 3222.0, p.5., viewed 23 October 2017, <www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/[email protected]/DetailsPage/3222.02012%20(base)%20to%202101?OpenDocument>10 Australian Bureau of Statistics 2013, Population Projections, Australia, 2012 (base) to 2101, cat. no. 3222.0, ‘Table B5. Population projections, By age and sex, Western Australia - Series B’, viewed 20 July 2017, <www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/[email protected]/DetailsPage/3222.02012%20(base)%20to%202101?OpenDocument>11 ibid
Aboriginal births
Non-Aboriginal births
15 to 19years
20 to 24years
25 to 29years
30 to 34years
35 to 39years
40 to 44years
45 to 49years
1.97%
16.27%
11.49%
31.43%
27.33%
28.64%
36.27%
17.88%
6.66%
16.34%
3.50%
1.86% 0.25%
0.10%
Figure 3: Proportion of overall births: in per cent, by Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal and age group, WA, 2015
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics 2016, Births, Australia, 2015, cat. no. 3301.0
Projected growthThe ABS projects that from 2016 to 2056, WA’s population will more than double to reach nearly 6 million people. This is expected to be the largest percentage9 increase across Australia.10
The number of children and young people is projected to increase by almost 93 per cent, to just over 1.2 million by 2056.11 Most of this growth is expected to occur in Perth, with smaller population increases in regional areas. However, the proportion of children and young people in the overall population is projected to decrease due to Australia’s ageing population (Figure 4).
Figure 4: Projected number and percentage of children and young people aged 0 to 17 years: WA, 2016 to 2056
Nu
mber
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics 2017, Population Projections, Australia, 2012 (base) to 2101, cat. no. 3222.0
1,400,000 25.0%
20.0%
15.0%
10.0%
2.5%
22.5%
17.5%
12.5%
5.0%
7.5%
0.0%
1,200,000
1,000,000
800,000
600,000
400,000
200,000
0
2016
2032
2048
2020
2036
2052
2024
2040
2056
2028
2044
2018
2034
2050
2022
2038
2054
2026
2042
2030
2046
Percentage Number
Per
cen
tage
25.4yearsMedian age of
Aboriginal womenwho registereda birth in 2015
Profile of Children and Young People in WA
Commissioner for Children and Young People Western Australia 12
Childhood and care
More than two-thirds of WA students are educated in government schools
Almost 40 per cent (37.5%) of WA children aged less than two years and 70 per cent (66.5%) of children aged two to three years attend some form of care.12 Child care arrangements become less common once children commence formal schooling (Table 4).
Table 4: Type of care attended by children aged 0 to 12 years: number and in per cent,by age group and type of care arrangement, WA, 2014
School educationBetween Semester 1, 2016 and Semester 1,2017, the number of school students enrolled in WA rose slightly from 444,922 to 449,742, an increase of 1.1 per cent (Table 5). Government schools remained the largest provider of school education in WA.In government schools, student numbers increased by two per cent, while innon-government schools numbersdecreased by 0.7 per cent (Table 5).
There were 29,333 Aboriginal students enrolled in Semester 1, 2017, representing 6.5 per cent of all students.13
Source: ABS 2015, Childhood Education and Care, Australia, June 2014, cat. no. 4402.0
* Includes formal care (long day care, family day care, before and/or after school care and other) and informal care (provided by a relative such as grandparent, non-resident parent, brother/sister or other relative).
Under 2 years 2 to 3 years 4 to 5 years 6 to 12 years
Number Per cent
Number Per cent
Number Per cent
Number Per cent
Usual child care arrangement*
25,600 37.5 46,400 66.5 30,600 42.2 76,400 34.8
No usual child care arrangement
42,700 62.5 23,400 33.5 41,900 57.8 143,300 65.2
Total 68,300 100.0 69,800 100.0 72,500 100.0 219,700 100.0
12 Includes formal care (e.g. long day care, family day care) and informal care (e.g. care provided by a relative). 13 WA Department of Education 2017, Summary Statistics of Schools and Full-Time Students, ‘Aboriginal student numbers by Education Sector and Education Region’ [website], viewed 25 July 2017, <www.det.wa.edu.au/schoolinformation/detcms/navigation/statistical-reports/?page=2>
1.1%increase innumber of
school students enrolled in WA
SCHOOL
Education,Care and Home
Education, Care and Home
13 Commissioner for Children and Young People Western Australia
Profile of Children and Young People in WA
Commissioner for Children and Young People Western Australia 14
Table 5: Students in government and non-government schools: number, by year level, WA, Semester 1, 2017
The North and South Metropolitan education regions comprised 353,689 students, which is78.6 per cent of all students in WA. The remainder of students were enrolled in schools in regional and remote education regions. Around 10 per cent of students attended schools in the South West education region.
Across the regions, student numbers slightly fluctuated from 2016 to 2017, with the Goldfields and the Midwest regions recording decreases of 1.8 and 1.7 per cent respectively, while the Pilbara and both Metropolitan regions recorded increases (Table 6).
Table 6: Students in government and non-government schools: number, by year level, education regions of WA, Semester 1, 2017
Source: WA Department of Education 2017, Summary Statistics of Schools and Full-Time Students [website]
Source: WA Department of Education 2017, Summary statistics of Schools and Full-Time Students [website]
Kindergarten Pre-primary
Years1 to 6
Years7 to 12
Total Difference 2016 to
2017
Number Number Number Number Number Per cent
Government 24,543 25,174 147,630 71,687 302,271 2.0
Non-government 10,428 8,874 55,910 49,731 147,471 -0.7
Total 34,971 34,048 203,540 121,418 449,742 1.1
Kindergarten &
Pre-primary
Years1 to 6
Years7 to 12
Total students
Proportion of all
students
Difference 2016 to
2017
Number Number Number Number Per cent Per cent
Goldfields 1,747 5,126 4,000 10,870 2.42 -1.8
Kimberley 1,215 3,823 2,480 7,518 1.67 -1.5
Midwest 1,840 5,958 4,744 12,542 2.79 -1.7
North Metropolitan
26,409 77,406 72,617 176,432 39.22 1.1
Pilbara 1,817 5,175 3,085 10,077 2.24 2.9
South Metropolitan
27,865 80,528 68,864 177,257 39.41 1.8
South West 6,271 19,940 17,749 43,960 9.78 0.3
Wheatbelt 1,855 5,587 3,644 11,086 2.47 -0.9
Total 69,019 203,540 177,183 449,742 100.00 1.1
Family composition
There are almost 380,000 households withchildren in WA, and more than half have children under the age of 15
The most recent ABS Census data shows there are almost 380,000 households with one ormore children14 in WA.15
About 164,000 or 43 per cent of these households are couple families with children underthe age of 15, and about 35,000 or nine per cent are single-parent families with children under the age of 15.
In addition, more than 51,000 households are either couple or single-parent families with children under 15 years as well as 15 years and over (Table 7).
The vast majority of single parents in WA are female (81.7%).16
Table 7: Households with children: number, by family composition, WA, 2016
14 Children include either children under 15 (dependent by definition), dependent students aged 15-24, or independent children who are either non-students aged 15-24, or anyone over the age of 25 (a parent-child relationship must exist in the household).15 Australian Bureau of Statistics, Census of Population and Housing 2011 and 2016, figures compiled by .id, the population experts [website], viewed 10 August 2017, <www.profile.id.com.au/australia/households-with-children?WebID=140>16 ABS Census 2016, Quick Data, WA, retrieved 25 July 2017, <www.censusdata.abs.gov.au/census_services/getproduct/census/2016/quickstat/5?opendocument>
Family type Number
Couple families with children 289,583
Couples with children aged under 15 years 164,130
Couples with children aged both under 15 years and 15 years and over 40,177
Couples with children aged 15 years and over 85,276
Single-parent families with children 89,718
Single parents with children under 15 years 35,108
Single parents with children aged both under 15 years and 15 years and over 10,906
Single parents with children aged 15 years and over 43,704
Total 379,301
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Census of Population and Housing 2011 and 2016, figures compiled by .id, the population experts [website]
Education, Care and Home Profile of Children and Young People in WA
Commissioner for Children and Young People Western Australia 16
Housing
The majority of children live in owner-occupied dwellings, with one-third living in rental properties. There are around 9,000 children and young people on the public housing wait list.
About two-thirds (68%) of dwellings in WA are owner-occupied and one-third (29%) are rented. Among those households that are rented, around three per cent are State Government rental dwellings (Table 8).
From 2003-– 04 to 2013-– 14, the proportion of WA dwellings owned without a mortgage reducedby 2.9 per cent and the proportion of dwellings rented from a private landlord increased by2.6 per cent.
Table 8: Occupied dwellings: in per cent, by tenure and landlord type, Western Australia,2003-– 04, 2011-– 12 and 2013-– 14
2003-– 04 2011-– 12 2013-– 14 Change 2003-04 to
2013-14
Total Owners 69.3 67.0 68.1 -1.2
Owners without a mortgage 31.2 27.0 28.3 -2.9
Owners with a mortgage 38.1 40.0 39.8 1.7
Total Renters 27.7 30.2 29.4 1.7
State Government landlord 4.0 3.8 3.1 -0.9
Private landlord 21.9 24.8 24.5 2.6
Other tenure types 3.0 2.8 2.5 N/A
All Households 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics 2015, Housing Occupancy and Costs, 2013-– 14, cat. no. 4130.0
17 Commissioner for Children and Young People Western Australia
The Report on Government Services 2017 shows the number of tenantable dwellings17 in WA has increased by 681 dwellings in the past five years, from 32,951 in 2012 to 33,631 in 2016.18
Data provided by the WA Housing Authority shows as at 30 June 2017, there were 16,516 applications or 29,544 applicants on the public housing wait list. Of the 29,544 applicants, more than 30 per cent (9,070) are under the age of 18.
In 2016, there were 18,530 applications or 36,167 applicants on the public housing wait list.Of the 36,167 applicants, 33 per cent (11,963) are under the age of 18 (Table 9).
Table 9: Applicants on public housing wait list: number, overall and under the age of 18, WA,30 June 2016 and 30 June 2017
Applicants Applicants under 18 Proportion of all applicants
Number Number Per cent
30 June 2016 36,167 11,963 33.1
30 June 2017 29,544 9,070 30.7
Source: WA Department of Housing 2017, data as at 30 June 2017 and 30 June 2016, custom report (unpublished)
17 Dwelling – tenantability status: “Dwelling tenantability is related to the concept of tenant, with its associated rights and responsibilities. A tenantable dwelling usually provides a certain level of basic amenity and maintenance is completed to the required minimum level. A dwelling that is occupied, but is not tenantable, indicates an unmet housing need.” AIHW METeOR (Meta Online Data Registry), viewed 26 July 2017, <www.meteor.aihw.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/269590/meteorItemView/long>18 Productivity Commission 2017, Report on Government Services 2017, Housing, Chapter 18 Attachment tables (XLSX) Table 18A.5, viewed 26 July 2017, <www.pc.gov.au/research/ongoing/report-on-government-services/2017/housing-and-homelessness/housing>
more than
30%of applicants on the
public housingwait list are under
the age of 18
Education, Care and Home Profile of Children and Young People in WA
Commissioner for Children and Young People Western Australia 18
Table 11: Children and young people under the age of 18 on public housing wait list: number, by dwelling requirement* WA, 30 June 2017
Dwelling requirement Applications Applicants
Singles – 1 BR (bedroom) 51 56
Singles – 2 BR 2 2
Family – 2 BR 2,208 2,622
Family – 3 BR 1,264 2,919
Family – 4 BR 707 2,335
Family – 5 + BR 261 1,066
To be determined 39 70
Total 4,532 9,070
Source: WA Housing Authority 2017, custom report (unpublished)
* ‘Dwelling Requirement’ does not always correspond with the family structure of the application. Caution is recommended when using this field. The WA Housing Authority is investigating a more accurate solution to identify family structure.
Further information is provided in the following two tables.
Table 10: Applications and applicants on public housing wait list: number, by dwelling requirement*, WA, 30 June 2017
Dwelling requirement Applications Applicants
Singles – 1 BR (bedroom) 8,283 8,582
Singles – 2 BR 481 932
Seniors – 1 BR 2,402 2,644
Seniors – 2 BR 270 473
Family – 2 BR 2,541 5,825
Family – 3 BR 1,376 5,066
Family – 4 BR 742 3,885
Family – 5+ BR 269 1,885
To be determined 152 252
Total 16,516 29,544Source: WA Housing Authority 2017, custom report (unpublished)
Vulnerability and Hardship
Children and young people in the juvenile justice system
Around 45,000 children and young people are living below the poverty line.
Aboriginal children and young people continue to be over-represented in both the out-of-home care and juvenile justice systems.
In 2016 there were 727 children and young people under youth justice supervision, 66 per cent of whom were Aboriginal. From 2015 to 2016, the number of children and young people in the juvenile justice system decreased by 27, or 3.6 per cent (Table 12).
Table 12: Children and young people aged 10 to 17 under youth justice supervision -community and detention on an average day: number, WA and Australia, 2015 and 2016
2016 2015
WA Australia Proportion of national
figure
WA Australia
Number Number Per cent Number Number
Community 594 4,598 12.9 607 4,785
Detention 138 914 15.5 162 883
Total 727 5,482 13.3 754 5,629
Source: Australian Institute Health and Welfare (AIHW) Youth Justice in Australia 2014-2015; Australian Institute Health and Welfare (AIHW) Youth Justice in Australia 2015-2016
Number of young people on an average day may not sum due to rounding, and because some young people may have been moved between community-based supervision and detention on the same day.
Profile of Children and Young People in WA
Commissioner for Children and Young People Western Australia 20
Vulnerabilityand Hardship
Below 50 per centmedian income
Below 30 per centmedian income
Number Proportion of all childrenunder 15 (per cent)
Number Proportion of all childrenunder 15 (per cent)
WA 43,985 7.2 18,574 3.0
Australia 727,822 12.1 180,952 3.0Source: Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre (BCEC)
Duncan, A. 2017 Child Poverty in Australia and WA, Presentation to the Commissioner for Children and Young People,Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre
Figures contained in BCEC reports are based on calculations from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics (HILDA) Survey, 2015.
20 In wealthy counties such as Australia and New Zealand, internationally accepted practice is to measure poverty by setting a poverty line; as a fraction of the median after-tax household income. Commonly-used poverty line thresholds are either 50 or 60 per cent of median income. A more severe measure is 30 per cent of median income.
Children and young people living in poverty
It is estimated that approximately 43,985 (7.2%) of all children and young people in WA underthe age of 15 years are living below the 50 per cent poverty line (standard poverty measure),while approximately 18,574 (3%) are living below 30 per cent of median income (severe or ‘deep’ poverty measure).20
Over the past decade, the rates of standard and severe poverty have reduced by 2.8 per cent and0.7 per cent respectively.
In WA, approximately 18 per cent of people in poverty are children and young people. In Australia, approximately 25 per cent of people in poverty are children and young people.
Table 15: Children and young people under the age of 15 years living in poverty: number and in per cent, by poverty measure, WA and Australia, 2015
Vulnerability and Hardship
21 Commissioner for Children and Young People Western Australia
Profile of Children and Young People in WA
Commissioner for Children and Young People Western Australia 22
Children and young people in out-of-home care
In 2017, there were 4,795 children and young people in out-of-home care, more than half of whom (54%) were Aboriginal. From 2016 to 2017, the total number of children and young people in care increased by 137, or 2.9 per cent.
Of the 137 additional children and young people in care, 123 (or 89.8%) were Aboriginal (Table 13).
Table 13: Children and young people aged 0 to 17 years in out-of-home care: number, by age group and Aboriginal status, WA, 2016 and 2017
It is noteworthy that the 15 to 17 years of age cohort is the only group in which the number of non-Aboriginal children and young people in care exceeds the number of Aboriginal children and young people in care.
Children and young people with disability
The ABS estimates that in WA, 54,400 children and young people aged 0 to 24 years have a reported disability19. This represents 6.6 per cent of the total population of 0 to 24 year-olds in WA (Table 14).
Table 14: Children and young people aged 0 to 24 years with disability: number, by age group and type of disability, WA and Australia, 2015
Source: Department for Child Protection and Family Support 2017, Annual Report 2016-17, p. 43; Department for Child Protection and Family Support 2016, Annual Report 2015-16, p. 124
2016 2015
Aboriginal Non-Aboriginal
Total Aboriginal Non-Aboriginal
Total
Less than 1 year 93 60 153 105 73 178
1 to 4 years 584 454 1038 576 455 1,031
5 to 9 years 875 677 1552 838 677 1,515
10 to 14 years 776 656 1432 700 627 1,327
15 to 17 years 275 345 620 261 346 607
Total 2,603 2,192 4,795 2,480 2,178 4,658
WA Australia
Reported disability
Profound or severe core activity limitation*
Reported disability
Profound or severe core activity limitation*
0 to 4 5,100** 2,600** 52,800 19,400
5 to 14 23,700 13,200 274,600 78,300
15 to 24 25,600 8,900 249,600 35,700
Total 54,400 24,700 577,000 133,400Source: ABS 2017, Disability, Ageing and Carers, Western Australia, cat.no.4430.0
* ‘Profound or severe core activity limitation’ indicates the person is unable to do, or always needs help with, a core activity task such as communication, mobility or self care.
** Estimate has a relative standard error of 25 to 50 per cent and should be used with caution.
Commissioner for Children and Young People WAGround Floor, 1 Alvan StreetSubiaco WA 6008 Telephone: 08 6213 2297 Facsimile: 08 6213 2220 Email: [email protected] Web: ccyp.wa.gov.au
ISBN: 978-0-9925925-3-0
