Indicators:  

Age of children and young people in 5 year age groups, 0 to 24 years 

Context:        

At June 2007, the estimated resident population of South Australia was 1.58 million people, an increase of 16,300 people since June 2006. This increase was the State's largest since the 1974-1975 period (ABS 2007). The population continues to age with people aged 65 years or more contributing 15.2% of South Australia's population (the highest proportion of any State or Territory); and the second oldest population, with a median age of 38.9 years (ABS 2007).

While the proportion of older residents in South Australia continues to increase, the proportion of younger people continues to decline. At June 2007, the proportion of the State's population who were children aged under 15 years was 17.2%, compared with 19.5% in 2000. These trends have significant implications for the future planning and provision of services, especially in health, housing, welfare and education.

Reference: Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) 2007. Population by Age and Sex, Australian States and Territories, June 2007. ABS Cat. No. 3201.0. Canberra: ABS.

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Indicators:  

Projected number of children and young people in 5 year age groups, 0 to 24 years 

Context:              

The data presented here are projections, not predictions or forecasts, and are intended to illustrate the growth and change in population which would occur if certain assumptions about future levels of fertility, mortality, internal migration and overseas migration were to prevail over the projection period. The assumptions incorporate recent trends which indicate increasing levels of fertility and net overseas migration for Australia.

Their value is in providing an estimate of what the population might look like in the future, in different geographic areas across the country. This is of particular relevance as Australia’s population ages.

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Top ten birthplaces of children and young people from non-English speaking countries: China, Malaysia, India, Hong Kong, Philippines, Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore and Bosnia 

Context:               

In the post-war period (particularly from the 1950s), the majority of immigrants from non-English speaking countries came to South Australia from Europe; in recent years, the proportion of these immigrants from Europe has declined. The most rapidly growing non-English speaking groups are now from Asia, including from countries such as China, India and Cambodia, and from Africa.

For children and young people who arrive as refugees from war-torn countries, the effects of trauma, loss, dislocation and lack of or interrupted schooling may have an impact on their learning and development, and, ultimately, on their ability to attain a level of education that will allow for their success integration into the Australian community (VFSTI 2007). Therefore, there is a need to provide early, responsive and culturally-appropriate services.

Reference: VFSTI (Victorian Foundation for Survivors of Torture Inc.) 2007. The Education Needs of Young Refugees in Victoria. Altshul Printers: Brunswick, Victoria

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Indicators:  

Indigenous status, 0 to 24 years; Aboriginal children and young people in 5 year age groups, 0 to 24 years

Context:                        

In the 2006 Census of Population and Housing, 25,557 people (or 1.7% of the total South Australian population) reported they were of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander origin: throughout these notes the term 'Aboriginal' is used to collectively refer to this group. This represents an increase of 25% since the 1996 Census, and reflects natural population increase (the excess of births over deaths) and other factors, including improvements in data collection methods and people newly identifying their Indigenous origin in the Census (ABS 2007).

The Aboriginal population is considerably younger than the non-Aboriginal population. In 2006, the median age for Aboriginal people in South Australia was 21 years, compared with a median age of 39 years for the non-Aboriginal population (ABS 2007). Fertility is higher for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population, and Aboriginal females tend to give birth at younger ages than non-Aboriginal females (ABS & AIHW 2005). The young Aboriginal population is disadvantaged across all domains of wellbeing, learning and development compared to their non-Aboriginal counterparts (AIHW 2005).

Nationally, the majority of Aboriginal people live in cities and towns, with around one-quarter of the Aboriginal population living in areas classified as ‘Remote’ or ‘Very Remote’ (the terms Remote and Very Remote refer to areas having 'very little or very restricted access to goods and services and opportunities for social interaction').  Only 2% of the non-Aboriginal population live in Remote or Very Remote areas.

References: Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) 2007. 2006 Census Ethnic Media Package. ABS Cat. No. 2914.0.55.002. Canberra: ABS. At http://144.53.252.30/ausstats/abs@.nsf/7d12b0f6763c78caca257061001cc588/a0dbf953e41d83d3ca257306000d514b!OpenDocument (accessed 17 March 2008).

ABS & AIHW (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare) 2005. The health and welfare of Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. ABS Cat. No. 4704.0. AIHW Cat. No. IHW 14. Canberra: ABS.

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Indicators:  

Australian-born population aged 0 to 24 years; Children and young people born (overseas) in predominately English speaking countries; Children and young people born in predominately non-English speaking (NES) countries; Children and young people born in NES countries resident in Australia for five years or more; Children and young people born in NES countries resident in Australia for less than five years; Children and young people born in NES countries who speak English 'not well', or 'not at all'

Context:                   

In the post-war period (particularly from the 1950s), the majority of immigrants from non-English-speaking countries came to South Australia from Europe; in recent years the proportion of these immigrants from Europe has declined. The most rapidly growing non-English-speaking groups are now from Asia, including from countries such as China, India and Cambodia, and from Africa.

For children and young people who arrive as refugees from war-torn countries, the effects of trauma, loss, dislocation and lack of or interrupted schooling may impact on their learning and development, and, ultimately, on their ability to attain a level of education that will allow for their successful integration into the Australian community (VFSTI 2007).

Reference: VFSTI (Victorian Foundation for Survivors of Torture Inc.) 2007. The Education Needs of Young Refugees in Victoria. Altshul Printers: Brunswick, Victoria.

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