Australian Bureau of Statistics

Sheep Flock Sizes at Lowest Levels in 100 Years

Victor P Taffa

Australia’s Sheep Flock continued to decline in 2009-10 and is now at its lowest level in over a century, according to Preliminary Estimates released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics today. Estimates also reveal that despite periods of unfavourable weather in some regions, recovery in production has continued for a range of major broad acre crops during the previous season.

Production for many broad acre crops, including wheat, oats, cotton and canola increased slightly compared to 2008-09. While remaining at historically low levels, rice production is up on recent years, more than doubling since the last season.

Sheep Numbers (including lambs) are at their lowest level since 1905, continuing the trend of last season. Despite herd rebuilding in some regions, both milk and meat cattle numbers also decreased, by 5% and 4% respectively. Pig numbers remained relatively steady.

Data Highlights:

Crops:

• Wheat production rose 2%, compared to 2008-09, to 22.0 million tonnes
• Production of barley for grain fell by 1% to 7.9 million tonnes
• Cotton production increased by 22% to 376,000 tonnes
• Rice production was 198,000 tonnes, over double the production for 2008-09, but still less than one-fifth of production in 1999-2000

Livestock:

• Milk cattle numbers decreased by 5%, compared to 2008-09, to 2.5 million head
• Meat cattle decreased by 4% to 24.3 million head
• Sheep and lamb numbers fell to 67.7 million head, a fall of 7% from 2008-09 and the lowest flock size 1905

Australian Bureau of Statistics

Australia’s Unemployment Rate Increased 0.2 Percentage Points to 5.4 % in October 2010

Victor P Taffa

The Australian Unemployment Rate increased 0.2 Percentage Points to 5.4 % in October, the Australian Bureau of Statistics announced today.

The ABS reported the number of People Employed increased by 29,700 people to 11.356 million, seasonally adjusted, in October. The Rise in Employment was driven by an increase in part-time employment, up 43,800 People to 3.385 Million that was partially offset by a Decrease in Full-Time Employment, Down 14,100 People to 7.971 Million.

The number of People Unemployed increased by 32,100 people, to 646,500 in October, the ABS said.

The ABS seasonally adjusted monthly aggregate hours worked series showed a rise in October, up 7.9 million hours to 1,602.6 million hours.

The ABS reported a record high for the labour force participation in October of 65.9 %, a rise of 0.3 Percentage Points from September.

OCTOBER KEY POINTS

TREND ESTIMATES (MONTHLY CHANGE)

• Employment increased to 11,339,400
• Unemployment increased to 628,200
• Unemployment rate at 5.2%
• Participation rate increased 0.1 pt to 65.7%
• Aggregate monthly hours worked increased to 1,601.2 Million Hours

SEASONALLY ADJUSTED ESTIMATES (MONTHLY CHANGE)

• Employment increased 29,700 (0.3%) to 11,355,900. Full-time Employment decreased 14,100 to 7,970,900 and part-time employment increased 43,800 to 3,385,000.
• Unemployment increased 32,100 (5.2%) to 646,500. The number of persons looking for full-time work increased 30,000 to 456,400 and the number of persons looking for part-time work increased 2,100 to 190,100.
• Unemployment rate increased 0.2 pts to 5.4%. The male unemployment rate increased 0.2 pts to 5.2% and the female unemployment rate increased 0.3 pts to 5.6%.
• Participation rate increased 0.3 pts to a record high of 65.9%.
• Aggregate monthly hours worked increased 7.9 million hours (0.5%) to 1,602.6 million hours.

OCTOBER KEY FIGURES

Australian Bureau of Statistics

Death Rates Lowest On Record

Victor P Taffa

Death Rates are the lowest on record and life expectancy continues to increase, according to the latest report released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

Death Rates have continued to decline over the past 20 years. In 2009, the standardised death rate was the lowest on record at 5.7 Deaths per 1000 People. In 1989, the standardised death rate was 9.1 Deaths per 1000 People.

There were nearly 141,000 Deaths Registered in 2009 (72,300 men and 68,400 women).

Australian life expectancy for both males and females continues to be amongst the highest in the world. Assuming current death rates, a boy born today can expect to live an average of 79.3 years, while a girl can expect to live to 83.9 years. Having survived to age 60, men could expect to live another 23 years and women another 26 years.

Since 1989, life expectancy has increased by 6 years for men and just over 4 years for women, reflecting the decrease in death rates over time. The increase in life expectancy is one of the factors contributing to the ageing of Australia’s Population.

The infant mortality rate increased slightly, from 4.1 Deaths per 1,000 Births in 2008 to 4.3 in 2009.

Australian Bureau of Statistics

SUMMARY COMMENTARY

Victor P Taffa

LIVESTOCK

• In September 2010, the trend estimate for cattle slaughtering fell, down 1% from August 2010 to 629 thousand.
• Calf slaughtering were down 4% from August 2010. Sustained falls over a number of months has seen calf slaughtering decline by 21% compared to September 2009.
• The trend estimate for sheep slaughtering in September 2010 increased to 536 thousand, a 3% rise from August 2010, but still down 25% from September 2009.
• Lamb slaughtering in September 2010 fell, down 2% from August 2010 and 11% from September 2009.
• In September, the trend estimate for pig slaughtering remained steady.

MEAT

• In September 2010, the trend estimate for beef production fell by 1% from August 2010 to 174 thousand tonnes.
• Veal production fell by 7% from August 2010 and was down 22% from September 2009.
• The trend estimate for mutton production rose to 12 thousand tonnes, an increase of 3% from August 2010, but still down 19% from September 2009.
• In September 2010, production of lamb fell by 2% from August 2010 to 33 thousand tonnes. Lamb production was down 7% compared to September 2009.
• The trend estimate for production of pig meat remained steady.

Australian Bureau of Statistics

SEPTEMBER KEY POINTS

Victor P Taffa

BALANCE ON GOODS AND SERVICES

• The trend estimate of the Balance on Goods and Services was a surplus of $2,368m in September 2010, an increase of $30m on the revised surplus in August 2010.
• In seasonally adjusted terms, the Balance on Goods and Services was a surplus of $1,760m in September 2010, a decrease of $686m on the revised surplus in August 2010.

CREDITS (EXPORTS OF GOODS & SERVICES)

• In seasonally adjusted terms, Goods and Services Credits fell $373m (2%) to $24,151m. Non-rural goods fell $483m (3%) and rural goods fell $198m (8%). Non-monetary gold rose $306m (36%) and net exports of goods under merchanting rose $2m (7%). Services credits remained steady.

DEBITS (IMPORTS OF GOODS & SERVICES)

• In seasonally adjusted terms, Goods and Services Debits rose $313m (1%) to $22,391m. Non-monetary gold rose $333m and intermediate and other merchandise goods rose $185m (2%). Capital goods fell $163m (4%) and consumption goods fell $1m. Services debits fell $41m (1%).

• SEPTEMBER KEY FIGURES

Australian Bureau of Statistics

Victor P Taffa

The latest ABS Retail Trade figures show that Australian retail turnover rose 0.3% in September 2010, seasonally adjusted, following a rise of 0.3% the previous month.

The largest rise in September 2010 was recorded in clothing, footwear and personal accessory retailing (2.5%), followed by other retailing (0.5%), household goods retailing (0.2%) and food Retailing (0.1%). Turnover fell in cafes, restaurants and takeaway food services (-0.4%) and department stores (-0.2%).

Turnover rose in Victoria (0.8%), Western Australia (1.0%), the Northern Territory (0.8%) and South Australia (0.2%). Turnover was flat in Queensland (0.0%) and fell in New South Wales (-0.2%), Tasmania (-0.4%) and the Australian Capital Territory (-0.2%).

Trend turnover rose 0.4% in September 2010. This follows a rise of 0.4% in August 2010 and a rise of 0.5% in July 2010. In the twelve months to September 2010 trend turnover rose 3.8%

Turnover volume rose 0.7%, seasonally adjusted, in the three months to September 2010.

SEPTEMBER KEY FIGURES

Australian Bureau of Statistics

Dwelling Approvals Continue to Fall in September 2010

Victor P Taffa

ABS Building Approvals show that the total number of dwellings approved fell 6.6% in September 2010 and are now showing falls for six months, in seasonally adjusted terms.

According to the ABS, Tasmania recorded a rise in dwelling approvals (1.0%) this month, while New South Wales (-1.5%), Victoria (-10.0%), Queensland (-2.3%), South Australia (-24.9%) and Western Australia (-2.0%) all fell, in seasonally adjusted terms.

Private sector houses approved fell 2.2% with falls in Victoria (-3.6%) and Western Australia (-10.7%), while New South Wales (8.1%), Queensland (0.5%) and South Australia (0.4%) rose.

The value of total building approved fell 3.2% in September in seasonally adjusted terms. The value of total residential building fell by 4.5% while non-residential building fell by 0.7% following a rise last month.

SEPTEMBER KEY FIGURES

SEPTEMBER KEY POINTS

TOTAL DWELLING UNITS

• The trend estimate for total dwellings approved fell 3.7% in September 2010 and is showing falls for seven months.
• The seasonally adjusted estimate for total dwellings approved fell 6.6% and has fallen for six months.

PRIVATE SECTOR HOUSES

• The trend estimate for private sector houses approved fell 1.8% in September and has fallen for nine months.
• The seasonally adjusted estimate for private sector houses approved fell 2.2% and has fallen for four months.

PRIVATE SECTOR OTHER DWELLING UNITS

• The trend estimate for private sector other dwellings approved fell 3.5% in September and is now showing falls for four months.
• The seasonally adjusted estimate for private sector other dwellings approved fell 15.7% following a rise in the previous month.

VALUE OF BUILDING APPROVED

• The trend estimate for the value of total building approved fell 2.7% in September and has fallen for seven months.
• The trend estimates for the value of building approved should be interpreted with caution. See the data notes on page 2 of this publication.
• The seasonally adjusted estimate for the value of total building approved fell 3.2% in September. The seasonally adjusted estimate for the value of new residential building fell 5.4% and the value of residential alterations and additions rose 1.0%. The seasonally adjusted estimate for the value of non-residential building fell 0.7%.

REVISIONS THIS MONTH

Revisions to the total number of dwelling units approved in this issue are:

Australian Bureau of Statistics

SEPTEMBER KEY POINTS

Victor P Taffa

ESTABLISHED HOUSE PRICES

Quarterly Changes

• Preliminary estimates show the price index for established houses for the weighted average of the eight capital cities increased 0.1% in the September quarter 2010.
• The capital city indexes increased in Melbourne (+2.7%), Perth (+0.4%) and Darwin (+0.3%), and decreased in Sydney (-0.9%), Brisbane (-2.1%), Adelaide (-1.4%), Hobart (-1.4%) and Canberra (-0.4%).

Annual Changes (September Quarter 2009 to September Quarter 2010)

• Preliminary estimates show that the price index for established Houses for the weighted average of the eight Capital Cities increased 11.5% in the year to September Quarter 2010.
• Annually, House Prices rose in Melbourne (+18.8%), Sydney (+11.0%), Canberra (+11.0%), Darwin (+9.8%), Perth (+9.4%), Adelaide (+6.3%), Hobart (+4.2%) and Brisbane (+3.0%).

• SEPTEMBER KEY FIGURES

Australian Bureau of Statistics

Psychological Distress High for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People

Victor P Taffa

Nearly one in every three Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Adults experienced High Levels of Psychological Distress, more than twice the rate for non-Indigenous Australians, according to the latest ABS figures released today.

In 2008, high levels of psychological distress, which includes feelings of depression and anxiety, were experienced by 31% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults.

Rates were particularly high among victims of violence (46%), people with a disability or long-term health condition (43%), and those who had experienced discrimination (44%) or removal from their natural family (39%).

Despite high rates of psychological distress, the majority (72%) of adults reported being happy all or most of the time. Rates were higher among those living in remote areas (78%) than non-remote areas (71%).

Psychological distress is measured using a modified version of the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale. High scores indicate that feelings of anxiety or depression may be being experienced on a regular basis, whereas a low score indicates these feelings are experienced less frequently or not at all.

Australian Bureau of Statistics

KEY POINTS

Victor P Taffa

At the end of September 2010, Australia’s bulk storage of wheat grain was estimated at 5.1 million tonnes, which was 24% less than the amount stored at the same time in August 2010. Of the total wheat grain stored by bulk grain handlers, 89% (or 4.6 million tonnes) was milling grade, and 11% (or 0.6 million tonnes) was feed grade. Stocks of wheat grain stored by bulk grain handlers decreased in all states in September 2010, when compared to August 2010.