One of the more consistent findings of census-based analysis is that nationally, Indigenous Australians change their place of usual residence more often than the non-Indigenous population. Between 2001 and 2006, 46.5 per cent of the Indigenous population changed their place of usual residence, compared to 43.1 per cent for the non-Indigenous population. Population movement can have significant impacts on the ability of all levels of government to design forward-looking policy at a local level that takes into account the share of the population that identifies as being Indigenous.

This report is the outcome of a scoping exercise commissioned by the National Water Commission (NWC) to determine the water licences and allocations to Indigenous people for commercial use across all States and Territories (except the Australian Capital Territory) in Australia. This preliminary study was carried out between mid December 2008 and early February 2009.

The empirical research reported here attempts to document for the first time actual allocations of water licences and entitlements to identified Indigenous users on a state-by-state jurisdictional basis.

Policy development in Indigenous affairs often proceeds with dated estimates of population and with little understanding of the likely impact of changing demographic parameters on future Indigenous population size and composition. To the extent that policy itself can influence demographic outcomes, this represents a significant deficiency in current planning methodology. To stimulate a dialogue around such issues, this paper models the national and regional population impacts of a continuation of existing mortality and fertility regimes compared to a situation where these converge.

Local area population counts and estimates are crucial inputs into policy planning and processes. However, population mobility in general, as well as large numbers of visitors to particular areas, place additional demands on resources and those providing essential services. The literature identifies a pressing need for standardised quantitative measures of the volume, frequency and flows of Indigenous temporary mobility and comparable spatial scales.

According to the 2006 Census, around three-quarters of Indigenous Australians live in regional areas or major cities. This represents a small, but noticeable increase from previous census years, especially in large regional towns. While most measured socioeconomic outcomes are advantageous relative to remote parts of the country, there are still substantial gaps between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians in regional and urban Australia.

In the United Nations Development Programme Gender-related Development Index, Australia ranks in the top five across 179 countries, suggesting that women are achieving similar outcomes to men in life expectancy, literacy and earnings at the national level, and that the loss of human development due to gender inequality is minor. However, this does not necessarily hold true for all regions or for all population subgroups. There has been extensive research into the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous outcomes but very little of this has adopted a gender perspective.

The Repeat Offenders Database, which has been collated by the New South Wales Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, offers a unique opportunity to analyse data quality issues for an important source of administrative data for Indigenous people. This paper provides several independent estimates of the population of Indigenous offenders by estimating the number of people with unknown Indigenous status who are likely to be identified as Indigenous in other circumstances.

Benjamin Disraeli originally coined the phrase 'Two Nations' in 1845 to characterise the chasm between rich and poor in Victorian England. While the differential in access to resources has been reduced this century by the development of the welfare state, there is ongoing concern about the level of inequality in Australia. This paper attempts to develop, and sustain, the metaphor that there are three Nations in Australia: the rich, the poor non-indigenous Australians and indigenous Australians.

Indigenous people are far more likely to be discouraged from looking for work than other Australians. Understanding the microeconomic determinants of what discourages particular workers has important implications for overcoming the labour force disadvantage faced by indigenous Australians. This paper focuses on the interaction between labour supply and demand, and particularly on examining the factors that lead to indigenous people who want to work not looking for work and therefore remaining outside the workforce.

The excessive consumption of alcohol and associated behaviour is a potentially intractable issue with no easy policy solutions. Altering drinking behaviour will inevitably involve changing attitudes over the long term and indeed will need generational change. Such change must come from the individuals who make up the ‘demand’ side of the drinking equation.