Family Composition in Greater Western Sydney

CENSUS 2016 TOPIC PAPER

Household & Family Composition in Greater Western Sydney

By Barbara Beard, Social Research and Information Officer, WESTIR Ltd

2016

This work is Copyright. Apart from use permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part can be reproduced by any process without the written permission from the Executive Officer of WESTIR Ltd.

All possible care has been taken in the preparation of the information contained in this publication. However, WESTIR Ltd expressly disclaims any liability for the accuracy and sufficiency of the information and under no circumstances shall be liable in negligence or otherwise in or arising out of the preparation or supply of any of the information WESTIR Ltd is partly funded by the NSW Department of Family and Community Services.

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Introduction

The recent release of data from the 2016 ABS Census provides an insight into changes in household and family structure in Greater Western Sydney and comparative regions. As in past censuses, the most common family composition was still that of a Couple Family with Children. However, they are not the only type of family or household and this paper attempts to shine a light on not only the Couple Families with Children but Same-sex Families, Lone Person Households, Group Households, Grandparent Families, high and low- income families, small families and large families. This paper sources data from the 2016 ABS Census through Tablebuilder Pro. The tables are based on place of emuneration which is where someone was located on Census night, 9 August 2016. Some of the variables allow for people absent on the night to be included. Due to the randomisation process applied by the ABS for confidentiality purposes, totals for each characteristic and geographic area may differ from table to table. For cells with small values a random value, between 0 and 5, is assigned, including altering some cells to zero. Generally, this applies to cells with a value of less than 5 and differences will occur if cells are amalgamated to larger areas although the ABS assures users that the overall information value of the statistics is not impaired. Where the addition of LGA level data would make a table large and difficult to read in this document, only GWS and Region data has been included. However, the LGA data for all tables is available by request from Westir in Excel format.

Acronyms

ABS Australian Bureau of Statistics CoTA NSW Council of the Ageing NSW FACS Family and Community Services GWS Greater Western Sydney LGA Local Government Area

Regions

GWS is made up of the following 13 local government areas (LGAs): • Blacktown • Blue Mountains • Camden • Campbelltown • Canterbury – Bankstown • Cumberland • Fairfield • Hawkesbury • Liverpool • Parramatta • Penrith • The Hills Shire • Wollondilly

This paper also covers two additional LGAs, Lithgow and Wingecarribee, which are not included in GWS totals.

GWS is also compared with data for Greater Sydney, Rest of Sydney, FACS Western Sydney district, FACS South Western Sydney district and New South Wales (NSW):

• Greater Sydney and NSW are compiled from ABS boundaries. • Rest of Sydney is calculated by subtracting the totals of Greater Sydney with the totals of GWS. • FACS Western Sydney (FACS WS) is made up of Blacktown, Blue Mountains, Cumberland, Hawkesbury, Lithgow, Parramatta, Penrith and The Hills Shire LGAs. • FACS South Western Sydney (FACS SWS) is made up of Camden, Campbelltown, Canterbury – Bankstown, Fairfield, Liverpool, Wingecarribee and Wollondilly LGAs.

Household Composition

In GWS in 2016 there were a total of 793,578 households. This included Family Households, Lone Person Households, Group Households, Visitor only Households and Other non-classifiable, empty or non-private dwellings. This count was based on actual location on Census night. The most common type of household was a Family Household. This category includes Couple Families with and without Children, One Parent Families and households with multiple families living in the one dwelling. In GWS Family Households accounted for 71.3% of all households which was much higher than the Rest of Sydney (59.1%), Greater Sydney (64.3%) and New South Wales (61.1%). Within the LGAs of GWS, the proportion of Family Households ranged from 52.7% in Lithgow and 59.4% in the Blue Mountains through to 75.2% in Blacktown and 80.4% in The Hills Shire. The higher proportion of Family Households in a region corresponds with low proportions of Lone Person Households and visa versa. In Lithgow, more than a quarter of households were Lone Person Households and Blue Mountains had 21.5% Lone Person Households. The Hills Shire had the lowest proportion of Lone Person Households (10.5%) followed by Blacktown and Wollondilly (13.8%). Group Households made up a small proportion of total households with a maximum of 4.5% in Cumberland and a minimum of 1.4% in Camden, The Hills Shire and Wollondilly. In GWS, the newly formed LGA of Cumberland had the highest proportion of Group Households (4.5%) followed by Parramatta (4.1%) and Canterbury-Bankstown (2.9%). The Rest of Sydney had a much higher proportion of Group Households with 5.3%. Overall,3.6% of NSW households were Group Households. Unoccupied, visitor only, non-private dwellings and other non-classifiable dwellings made up the remaining households ranging between 7.8% of households in the Hills Shire and 19.1% of households in Lithgow. Table 1 below provides number and percentage values for each of the LGAs and regions discussed above. Map 1 on page 5 shows the number of Lone Person Households across GWS illustrating the higher numbers in Lithgow, Springwood and Leura and lower numbers in The Hills Shire and Fairfield.

Table 1: Household Composition, Selected Regions, 2016 Household Composition by location on Census night, Selected Regions, 2016 Visitor only & other Family Household Lone person Not applicable Group household non-classifiable Region (a) household (b) Total households No % No % No % No % No % Blacktown 83,379 75.2% 15,359 13.8% 2,369 2.1% 4,599 4.1% 5,198 4.7% 110,903 Blue Mountains 20,390 59.4% 7,384 21.5% 851 2.5% 1,367 4.0% 4,317 12.6% 34,306 Camden 20,428 78.0% 3,297 12.6% 363 1.4% 944 3.6% 1,175 4.5% 26,197 Campbelltown 39,632 71.6% 9,180 16.6% 1,164 2.1% 2,499 4.5% 2,848 5.1% 55,324 Canterbury-Bankstown 83,016 68.4% 21,173 17.4% 3,582 2.9% 5,809 4.8% 7,849 6.5% 121,434 Cumberland 49,680 68.9% 11,612 16.1% 3,217 4.5% 3,308 4.6% 4,339 6.0% 72,147 Fairfield 46,863 74.6% 9,003 14.3% 1,321 2.1% 2,382 3.8% 3,208 5.1% 62,779 Hawkesbury 16,409 68.1% 4,389 18.2% 510 2.1% 1,232 5.1% 1,556 6.5% 24,098 Lithgow 5,116 52.7% 2,560 26.4% 190 2.0% 769 7.9% 1,087 11.2% 9,714 Liverpool 48,553 73.7% 9,209 14.0% 1,029 1.6% 4,145 6.3% 2,992 4.5% 65,923 Parramatta 57,066 66.6% 15,216 17.8% 3,533 4.1% 4,340 5.1% 5,559 6.5% 85,723 Penrith 49,782 70.0% 12,235 17.2% 1,654 2.3% 3,401 4.8% 4,048 5.7% 71,111 The Hills Shire 41,681 80.4% 5,425 10.5% 736 1.4% 1,222 2.4% 2,775 5.4% 51,834 Wingecarribee 12,744 58.8% 4,641 21.4% 384 1.8% 1,067 4.9% 2,858 13.2% 21,681 Wollondilly 12,549 74.8% 2,311 13.8% 235 1.4% 711 4.2% 970 5.8% 16,780 GWS (13 LGAs) 569,417 71.3% 125,797 15.8% 20,561 2.6% 35,959 4.5% 46,840 5.9% 798,573 Rest of Sydney 626,240 59.1% 225,621 21.3% 56,230 5.3% 59,846 5.6% 92,088 8.7% 1,060,034 FACS Western Sydney 323,494 70.3% 74,180 16.1% 13,060 2.8% 20,237 4.4% 28,872 6.3% 459,842 FACS South West Sydney 263,775 71.3% 58,815 15.9% 8,069 2.2% 17,563 4.7% 21,909 5.9% 370,132 Greater Sydney 1,195,657 64.3% 351,418 18.9% 76,791 4.1% 95,805 5.2% 138,928 7.5% 1,858,607 New South Wales 1,874,528 61.1% 620,777 20.2% 109,005 3.6% 170,549 5.6% 292,126 9.5% 3,066,981 Source: ABS Census 2016, Tablebuilder Pro Table based on location on Census night (a) included family households with multiple families (b) Not applicable includes Non-private dwellings, unoccupied private dwellings and migratory offshore & shipping SA1s

Map 1 – Number of One Person Households, GWS, 2016

Source: ABS Census 2016

Family Households

The category of Family Household includes Couple Families with or without Children, One Parent Families with Children and Other Families. Together all of these family types account for between 52.7% to 80.4% of all households. Couple Families also include Same- sex Couple Families ( ABS Census Dictionary).This section compares the proportion of each family type within the Family Household category. Couple Family Households with children have consistently been the most common type of household in GWS and other regions since at least 1996. (ABS Cat. 3236.0 – 2015). Couple Family Households with children were the most common family type in all LGAs and regions in 2016 except for Lithgow and Wingecarribee. GWS had a higher proportion of Couple Family Households with children (53.1%) than the Rest of Sydney (46.1%), Greater Sydney (49.5%) and NSW (45.7%). Within the LGAs of GWS, The Hills Shire had the highest proportion of Couple Families with Children (60.4%) ahead of Liverpool (57.0%) and Blacktown (55.5%). The LGAs with the lowest proportion of Couple Family Households with Children were Lithgow (37.2%) and Wingecarribee (38.2%). Couple Families without Children were projected by the ABS to increase in the future; perhaps overtaking Couple Families with Children as the main family type. This may be related to a rise in the number of empty nesters as well as couples delaying having children or choosing to not have children. In GWS Couple Families without Children accounted for 27.9% of families which is still well behind Couple Families with Children (53.1%). Lithgow (42.2%) and Wingecarribee (47.1%) both had a higher proportion of Couple Families without Children than those with children (37.2% & 38.2% respectively). In Blue Mountains, Couple Families without Children (39.7%) made up only a slightly smaller proportion than those with children (44.0%). In The Hills Shire, Couple Families without Children (28.8%) made up a much smaller proportion than those with children (60.4%). (See Map 2) One Parent Families accounted for 17.2% of all families in GWS which was higher than Rest of Sydney (13.4%), Greater Sydney (15.2%) and NSW (16.0%). FACS South West Sydney had the highest proportion of One Parent Families with Children (18.9%). Within the LGAs this varied from 23.1% in Fairfield and 9.9% in The Hills Shire. Other Families are a group of related people who live in a household but cannot be categorised as belonging to a Couple or One Parent Family, for example, two brothers living together but with no spouses or children of either (ABS Census Dictionary 2016). This form of family makes up a very small proportion of all Family Households with only 1.7% in GWS and NSW. Table 2 below provides more details on all family types by LGA & Region.

Table 2: Family Households by type, Selected Regions, 2016

Family Composition for Selected Regions by number & percentage, 2016 Couple family with no Couple family with One parent family Other family Regions children children Total No % No % No % No % Blacktown 21,962 24.8% 49,126 55.5% 15,972 18.0% 1,457 1.6% 88,519 Blue Mountains 8,250 39.7% 9,151 44.0% 3,187 15.3% 222 1.1% 20,801 Camden 6,359 29.8% 11,747 55.1% 2,988 14.0% 213 1.0% 21,311 Campbelltown 11,645 27.9% 20,396 48.8% 9,088 21.7% 657 1.6% 41,784 Canterbury-Bankstown 23,621 26.9% 46,327 52.7% 15,987 18.2% 1,887 2.1% 87,829 Cumberland 14,249 26.8% 28,941 54.5% 8,592 16.2% 1,320 2.5% 53,100 Fairfield 11,983 23.3% 26,317 51.2% 11,873 23.1% 1,202 2.3% 51,368 Hawkesbury 5,734 33.5% 8,390 49.0% 2,825 16.5% 188 1.1% 17,137 Lithgow 2,201 42.2% 1,941 37.2% 1,003 19.2% 73 1.4% 5,215 Liverpool 12,023 23.2% 29,485 57.0% 9,437 18.2% 802 1.5% 51,748 Parramatta 19,576 32.9% 31,095 52.2% 7,730 13.0% 1,142 1.9% 59,543 Penrith 15,789 30.3% 25,417 48.8% 10,062 19.3% 783 1.5% 52,056 The Hills Shire 12,608 28.8% 26,401 60.4% 4,329 9.9% 379 0.9% 43,719 Wingecarribee 6,147 47.1% 4,982 38.2% 1,799 13.8% 117 0.9% 13,052 Wollondilly 4,428 33.7% 6,962 53.0% 1,655 12.6% 103 0.8% 13,142 GWS (13 LGAs) 168,213 27.9% 319,753 53.1% 103,715 17.2% 10,355 1.7% 602,039 Rest of Sydney 248,379 38.5% 297,667 46.1% 86,331 13.4% 12,635 2.0% 645,010 FACS South West Sydney 76,206 27.2% 146,213 52.2% 52,829 18.9% 4,986 1.8% 280,235 FACS Western Sydney 100,358 29.5% 180,462 53.1% 53,694 15.8% 5,554 1.6% 340,071 Greater Sydney 416,592 33.4% 617,420 49.5% 190,046 15.2% 22,990 1.8% 1,247,049 New South Wales 709,525 36.6% 887,357 45.7% 310,904 16.0% 32,443 1.7% 1,940,230

Source: ABS Census 2016, Tablebuilder Pro Table based on location on Census night

Map 2: Couple Families without Children, GWS, 2016

Source: ABS Census 2016

Changes in Household and Family composition over time

Overall, the number of households in GWS increased from 655,955 in 2006 to 754,771 households in 2016, a change of 13.1%. The change between 2011 and 2016 was 7.9%. The household and family composition of GWS did not change substantially in the ten years from 2006 to 2016. The most common household type was a Family Household (75.2% in 2006, and 75.5% in 2016) and within that category a Couple Family with Children was most common (40.5% in 2006 and 41.2% in 2016). There was a very small decrease in the proportion of One Parent Families from 13.1% in 2006 to 12.8% in 2016. The ABS (Cat: 3236.0 – 2015) projected Couple Families with Children in Australia would continue to increase but at the same time Couple Families without Children would also increase. In two of three scenarios presented, Couple Families without Children would overtake the number of Couple Families with Children in either 2023 or 2029. In GWS, although both types of couple families did increase in number, Couple Families without Children still made up a much smaller proportion than those with children. An interesting change over time has been in the Lone Person Households and the Group Households. Although the ABS (Cat: 3236.0 2015) predicted in 2015 that Lone Person Households would increase by number and proportion of households, this has not happened in GWS. Lone Person Households made up 17.9% of all households in 2006, decreasing to 17.8% in 2011 and 17.0% in 2016. Using the number of Lone Person Households, the increase amounted to an 8.4% increase between 2006 and 2016 and only a 3.5% increase between 2011 and 2016. The Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) in Australian Family Trends No. 6 – March 2015, found a decrease in the proportion of people in their 20s living alone, from 14% in 1986 to 9% in 2011. The AIFS report also stated that the majority of people living alone were female and that females were likely to be older than males who were living alone. At the same time, as Lone Person Households were decreasing, the proportion of Group Households was increasing. Group Households only make up a small proportion of all households but they increased from 2.4% of all households in 2006 to 2.7% in 2016, which was a 23.5% increase over 10 years. The ABS also predicted an increase in Group Households. The changes and proportions of Lone Person and Group Households are still quite small but this may be an indication of increasing housing costs affecting the way people live.

Table 3: Household & Family Composition, GWS, 2006, 2011 & 2016

Household & Family Composition, Greater Western Sydney, 2006,2011 & 2016 Household/Family 2006 2011 2016 Change 2006-2016 Change 2011-2016 Composition Number % Number % Number % Number % % Family Households: Couple Family no children 133,080 20.3% 142,944 20.6% 151,836 20.1% 18,756 12.4% 8,892 5.9% Couple Family with children 265,786 40.5% 282,711 40.7% 310,692 41.2% 44,906 14.5% 27,981 9.0% One Parent family 86,004 13.1% 92,810 13.3% 96,704 12.8% 10,700 11.1% 3,894 4.0% Other Family 8,364 1.3% 9,240 1.3% 10,358 1.4% 1,994 19.3% 1,118 10.8% Total Family Households (a) 493,243 75.2% 527,663 75.9% 569,606 75.5% 76,363 13.4% 41,943 7.4% Lone Person Households 117,332 17.9% 123,600 17.8% 128,125 17.0% 10,793 8.4% 4,525 3.5% Group Households 15,847 2.4% 16,908 2.4% 20,710 2.7% 4,863 23.5% 3,802 18.4% Other Households (b) 29,529 4.5% 27,134 3.9% 36,305 4.8% 6,776 18.7% 9,171 25.3%

Total Households 655,955 100.0% 695,318 100.0% 754,771 100.0% 98,816 13.1% 59,453 7.9% Source: ABS 2016 Datapacks T14 Table based on Place of Usual Residence

(a) In multiple family households, only the family composition of the primary family is included. (b) Comprises 'Visitors only' & 'Other non-classifiable' households.

Westir is able to supply the timeseries data for each of the LGAs within GWS if required.

Number of Persons in Dwelling

The number of persons usually resident in an occupied private dwelling on Census night counts the number of people in a dwelling but can also include up to 3 people absent on the night of the Census (ABS Census Dictionary, 2016). In GWS, the most common number of people in a dwelling was two (198,469 dwellings or 24.7%). This was also the case in New South Wales (877,870 dwellings or 30.9%), Greater Sydney (506,362 dwellings or 28.3%) and the Rest of Sydney (307,893 dwellings or 31.2%). Within the LGAs of GWS a household with two persons present on census night was also the most common, with the exception of Liverpool and the Hills Shire. Four-person households were the second most common family type in most LGAs and regions. However, in The Hills Shire a four-person household was the most common household (25.7%) as it was in Liverpool (22.0%). Liverpool had the highest proportion of 5- person households (12.9%) ahead of The Hills Shire with 12.7%. In Lithgow, 30.7% of dwellings had only one occupant. This was higher than Wingecarribee (24.5%) and Blue Mountains (24.3%) and double the proportion in GWS (15.7%). These three LGAs had the highest proportion of people living in either a one or two- person household. In Lithgow, 64.9% of dwellings had either one or two persons, while in Wingecarribee the proportion was 62.1% and in Blue Mountains 58.5%. This compares with The Hills Shire where only 10.2% of dwellings had one person and 24.6% had two people making a total of 34.8% of dwellings with either one or two occupants. Fairfield had the highest proportion of six (7.8%), seven (3.5%) and eight + (4.4%) dwellings and the third highest proportion of five-person households (12.6%) while only 34.6% of Fairfield dwellings had one or two persons. Overall, larger households were the minority with 20.6% (165,989 dwellings) of households in GWS having five or more occupants compared to 79.4% (637,704 dwellings) of households having four or less occupants. However, larger households were more common in GWS than the Rest of Sydney where 88.6% of dwellings have four or less occupants and only 11.4% of dwellings have five or more occupants.

Table 4: Number of persons in dwelling by proportion of dwellings, selected Regions, 2016

Proportion of persons usually resident in Dwelling, GWS LGAs and selected regions, 2016 One Two Three Four Five Six Seven Eight + Region Total person persons persons persons persons persons persons persons Blacktown 13.4% 22.6% 19.5% 22.4% 11.6% 6.0% 2.3% 2.2% 100.0% Blue Mountains 24.3% 34.2% 15.6% 15.3% 7.0% 2.4% 0.7% 0.3% 100.0% Camden 12.4% 26.3% 18.9% 23.1% 11.7% 4.6% 1.8% 1.1% 100.0% Campbelltown 16.4% 26.4% 18.9% 19.3% 10.1% 5.0% 2.0% 1.9% 100.0% Canterbury-Bankstown 17.5% 24.0% 18.0% 18.9% 10.8% 5.9% 2.4% 2.3% 100.0% Cumberland 15.7% 21.4% 18.5% 19.7% 11.8% 6.9% 3.0% 3.1% 100.0% Fairfield 13.5% 21.1% 17.6% 19.5% 12.6% 7.8% 3.5% 4.4% 100.0% Hawkesbury 18.8% 28.8% 17.5% 18.1% 9.9% 4.3% 1.5% 1.2% 100.0% Lithgow 30.7% 34.2% 13.9% 12.6% 5.6% 2.0% 0.6% 0.3% 100.0% Liverpool 13.9% 21.2% 18.2% 22.0% 12.9% 6.6% 2.7% 2.4% 100.0% Parramatta 18.0% 27.3% 21.1% 19.5% 8.3% 3.8% 1.2% 0.9% 100.0% Penrith 17.4% 27.9% 18.4% 19.2% 9.8% 4.6% 1.5% 1.3% 100.0% The Hills Shire 10.2% 24.6% 18.8% 25.7% 12.7% 5.3% 1.6% 1.1% 100.0% Wingecarribee 24.5% 37.6% 13.5% 13.6% 6.9% 2.7% 0.8% 0.5% 100.0% Wollondilly 13.9% 28.7% 16.7% 20.7% 11.8% 5.3% 2.0% 1.0% 100.0% GWS (13 LGAs) 15.7% 24.7% 18.6% 20.4% 10.9% 5.5% 2.2% 2.0% 100.0% Rest of Sydney 22.9% 31.2% 17.3% 17.2% 7.3% 2.7% 0.8% 0.6% 100.0% FACS Western Sydney 16.2% 25.6% 18.9% 20.5% 10.4% 5.0% 1.8% 1.6% 100.0% FACS South West Sydney 15.8% 24.4% 17.9% 19.7% 11.3% 6.0% 2.5% 2.4% 100.0% Greater Sydney 19.6% 28.3% 17.9% 18.6% 8.9% 4.0% 1.4% 1.2% 100.0% New South Wales 21.9% 30.9% 16.8% 16.9% 8.1% 3.4% 1.1% 0.9% 100.0% Source: ABS Census 2016, Tablebuilder Pro Table based on location on Census night

Table 5: Number of persons in dwelling by number of dwellings, Selected Regions, 2016

Number of persons usually resident in Dwelling, GWS LGAs and selected regions, 2016 One Two Three Four Five Six Seven Eight + Region Total person persons persons persons persons persons persons persons Blacktown 15,358 25,913 22,371 25,697 13,308 6,883 2,648 2,486 114,664 Blue Mountains 7,381 10,378 4,740 4,649 2,134 739 202 101 30,324 Camden 3,298 6,984 5,021 6,132 3,093 1,228 473 285 26,514 Campbelltown 9,181 14,804 10,621 10,829 5,652 2,829 1,135 1,048 56,099 Canterbury-Bankstown 21,174 29,062 21,806 22,860 13,098 7,163 2,867 2,838 120,868 Cumberland 11,612 15,867 13,722 14,586 8,732 5,081 2,257 2,280 74,137 Fairfield 9,006 14,105 11,772 13,003 8,449 5,182 2,369 2,909 66,795 Hawkesbury 4,388 6,739 4,092 4,235 2,307 1,004 352 277 23,394 Lithgow 2,561 2,856 1,163 1,051 463 169 50 26 8,339 Liverpool 9,206 14,051 12,065 14,558 8,497 4,357 1,789 1,601 66,124 Parramatta 15,220 23,089 17,813 16,499 7,036 3,173 1,017 745 84,592 Penrith 12,232 19,639 12,973 13,519 6,870 3,248 1,029 902 70,412 The Hills Shire 5,425 13,044 9,985 13,658 6,745 2,789 861 585 53,092 Wingecarribee 4,640 7,133 2,555 2,575 1,307 504 149 88 18,951 Wollondilly 2,311 4,783 2,789 3,449 1,962 877 330 174 16,675 GWS (13 LGAs) 125,794 198,469 149,768 163,673 87,881 44,547 17,329 16,232 803,693 Rest of Sydney 225,629 307,893 170,881 169,637 71,597 26,589 8,109 5,661 985,996 FACS Western Sydney 74,177 117,533 86,861 93,896 47,595 23,084 8,413 7,402 458,961 FACS South West Sydney 58,817 90,922 66,619 73,402 42,057 22,137 9,119 8,944 372,017 Greater Sydney 351,423 506,362 320,649 333,310 159,478 71,136 25,438 21,893 1,789,689 New South Wales 620,781 877,870 477,360 478,805 228,624 97,099 32,364 26,333 2,839,236 Source: ABS Census 2016, Tablebuilder Pro Table based on location on Census night

Number of dependent children in family

The ABS counts the number of dependent children living with their family at the time of the Census. This includes a person who is either a child under 15 years of age, or a dependent student aged 15-24 years, families who also have non-dependent children and up to three dependent children who were temporarily absent from the dwelling on Census night. Couple Families also include Same-sex Couple Families ( ABS Census Dictionary). The majority of families with children had either one or two children living with them. The proportion of One Child Families was only marginally smaller than the proportion of Two Child Families. Over the ten years from 2006 to 2016, One Child Families increased fractionally in all regions except FACS South West Sydney. Families with two children remained around the same proportion while the proportion of Families with three children decreased in all regions except FACS South West Sydney. Families with four or more children also decreased in all regions except FACS South West Sydney where it increased from 6.6% to 7.1% and in GWS where the proportion remained the same in 2006 and 2016 (6.2%). In GWS in 2016, 38.9% of Families with Children had one child compared to 39.8% with two children, 15.1% with three and 6.2% with four or more children. The proportion of Families with three children had decreased 0.6% between 2006 and 2016 while the proportion of Families with four or more children had remained the same in 2006 and 2016 (6.2%) with a small rise in 2011 (6.3%). FACS South West Sydney experienced a decrease in the proportion of One Child Families from 37.9% in 2006 to 37.6% in 2016, and Two Children Families from 39.4% in 2006 to 39.0% in 2016 while the proportion of Families with three children increased from 16.1% in 2006 to 16.3% in 2016 and Families with four or more children rose from 6.6% in 2006 to 7.1% in 2016. While all the changes were less than one percent, they do represent a reverse trend when compared to the other regions. In the Rest of Sydney, One Child Families increased from 40.8% in 2006 to 41.2% in 2016 and Two Child Families increased from 41.6% in 2006 to 42.7% in 2016. During the same period Three Children Families decreased from 14.0% in 2006 to 13.2% in 2016 and Families with four or more children decreased from 3.5% in 2006 to 2.9% in 2016. Overall, the trend is for increases in One Child Families, a mix of small increases or decreases in the proportion of Two Child Families and decreases in the proportion of Families with three or more children. See Table 1 below for regional data.

Table 6: Family household by number of dependent children, 2016

Family households by number of dependent children, selected regions, 2006 - 2016 Total families with one Total families with 2 Total Families with 3 Total families with 4 Total Region Year child children children or more children families No % No % No % No % 2006 104,655 38.3% 108,904 39.8% 42,900 15.7% 17,091 6.2% 273,529 GWS (13 LGAs) 2011 113,298 38.6% 116,002 39.6% 45,331 15.5% 18,493 6.3% 293,144 2016 123,571 38.9% 126,547 39.8% 47,885 15.1% 19,597 6.2% 317,606 2006 102,849 40.8% 105,068 41.6% 35,421 14.0% 8,917 3.5% 252,276 Rest of Sydney 2011 113,356 40.9% 116,359 42.0% 38,271 13.8% 9,187 3.3% 277,148 2016 122,541 41.2% 127,113 42.7% 39,142 13.2% 8,612 2.9% 297,408 2006 49,229 37.9% 51,059 39.4% 20,942 16.1% 8,529 6.6% 129,745 FACS South West Sydney 2011 51,621 37.8% 53,166 39.0% 22,222 16.3% 9,431 6.9% 136,441 2016 54,882 37.6% 56,870 39.0% 23,843 16.3% 10,342 7.1% 145,958 2006 58,139 38.4% 60,835 40.2% 23,324 15.4% 9,009 6.0% 151,292 FACS Western Sydney 2011 64,400 39.2% 65,800 40.1% 24,380 14.9% 9,556 5.8% 164,157 2016 71,386 39.9% 72,540 40.6% 25,291 14.1% 9,658 5.4% 178,874 2006 207,504 39.5% 213,972 40.7% 78,321 14.9% 26,008 4.9% 525,805 Greater Sydney 2011 226,654 39.7% 232,361 40.7% 83,602 14.7% 27,680 4.9% 570,292 2016 246,112 40.0% 253,660 41.2% 87,027 14.2% 28,209 4.6% 615,014 2006 318,431 38.7% 331,908 40.3% 128,769 15.6% 44,372 5.4% 823,473 NSW 2011 339,901 39.1% 350,454 40.3% 133,348 15.3% 46,404 5.3% 870,102 2016 357,595 39.3% 371,887 40.8% 135,882 14.9% 45,623 5.0% 910,983 Source: ABS Census Datapacks 2016, Table T27 Table based on place of usual residence

Family Type and Number of Dependent Children Family type also appears to be related to the number of children in a family in GWS. More than three quarters of all Families with Children in GWS were Couple Families, increasing from 78.6% in 2006 to 80.2% in 2016. Within Couple Families, the most common number of children was two, rising from 32.9% in 2006 to 33.5% in 2016. At the same time Couple Families with one child increased from 27.5% in 2006 to 28.0% in 2011 and 29.1% in 2016. Families with three children declined marginally from 13.1% in 2006 to 12.6% in 2016 and the proportion with four or more children remained the same in 2006 and 2016 (6.2%). One Parent Families with children accounted for 21.4% of all Families with Children in 2006 and 19.8% in 2016 in GWS. One Parent Families were most likely to have only one child. In 2006, 10.8% of families were One Parent Families with one child. This decreased to 9.8% in 2016. One Parent Families with two children made up 6.9% of all families in 2006 but this also decreased in 2016 to 6.4%. One Parent Families with three children also decreased, making up 2.6% of all families in 2006 and 2.4% in 2016. One Parent Families with four or more children made up 1.1% of all families in 2006 (3,090 families) and 2016 (3,500 families). GWS maintained the trend of decreasing family size for all family types but particularly for One Parent Families with children, which overall made up a smaller proportion of all families in 2016 (19.8%) than in 2006 (21.4%). Contact Westir for more detailed data. Table 7: Family type by number of dependent children , GWS 2006-2016 Family type by number of dependent children, GWS, 2006-2016 2006 2011 2016 Family type & number of children No % No % No % Couple family with: One child 75,183 27.5% 82,073 28.0% 92,281 29.1% Two children 89,967 32.9% 95,737 32.7% 106,310 33.5% Three children 35,813 13.1% 37,794 12.9% 40,161 12.6% Four or more children 14,025 5.1% 15,055 5.1% 16,097 5.1% Total couple families 214,971 78.6% 230,659 78.7% 254,860 80.2% One Parent family with: One child 29,456 10.8% 31,239 10.7% 31,276 9.8% Two children 18,934 6.9% 20,290 6.9% 20,227 6.4% Three children 7,084 2.6% 7,560 2.6% 7,724 2.4% Four or more children 3,090 1.1% 3,418 1.2% 3,500 1.1% Total one parent families 58,568 21.4% 62,493 21.3% 62,745 19.8% Total families with: One child 104,655 38.3% 113,298 38.6% 123,571 38.9% Two children 108,904 39.8% 116,002 39.6% 126,547 39.8% Three children 42,900 15.7% 45,331 15.5% 47,885 15.1% Four or more children 17,091 6.2% 18,493 6.3% 19,597 6.2% Total families 273,529 100.0% 293,144 100.0% 317,606 100.0% Source: ABS Census Datapacks 2016, Table T27 Table based on Place of usual residence

Weekly family household income The data in this section comes from the ‘Weekly Family household income as stated’ table in Tablebuilder Pro. This table includes households where one or more household members aged 15 years and over did not state their income, or were temporarily absent. In the alternative variable Total Household Income (weekly) these households would be excluded from the household income calculation and coded to the category 'Partial income stated' (ABS 2016 Census Dictionary). Fairfield LGA had the highest proportion of families with an income of less than $499 per week (12.0%) and Camden had the lowest (3.9%). Overall, Fairfield had higher proportions of low income earners with 58.8% of families with an income of $1,749 or less per week compared to The Hills Shire with 28.5%. Canterbury/Bankstown (53.2%), Cumberland (53.7%) and Lithgow (54.8%) also had more than half of Family Households earning less than $1,749 or less per week. The proportion of families in each of the ranges above $3,000 per week were quite low. In Camden, 13.5% of families had an income of $3,000-$3,999 per week compared to 15.2% in The Hills Shire and 5.9% in Fairfield. The proportion of families with an income of $4,000-$4,999 per week ranged from 2.2% in Fairfield, 5.2% in Parramatta, and 9.8% in The Hills Shire. The proportion of Family Households with incomes of $5,000-$7,999 was much lower with only 1.3% of families in Fairfield earning this amount compared to 3.3% in Camden, 4.0% in Parramatta and 8.6% in The Hills Shire. Less than one percent of Family Households had an income of $8,000 or more per week ranging from 0.1% in most LGAs, 0.2% in fewer LGAs and 0.6% in the Hills Shire. The table below show detailed figures by proportion for each LGA.

Table 8: Family Income GWS LGAs, 2013 Total Family Income for 13 GWS LGAs and comparitive regions, 2016

$499 pw $500- $1,000 - $1,750- $3,000- $4,000- $5,000- $8,000 or Not Region or less $999pw $1,749pw $2,999pw $3,999pw $4,999pw $7,999pw more Stated Blacktown 6.7% 14.9% 21.8% 30.6% 10.2% 4.0% 2.2% 0.1% 9.5% Blue Mountains 4.3% 15.2% 22.4% 29.1% 10.7% 5.1% 3.0% 0.1% 10.1% Camden 3.9% 10.8% 18.8% 34.8% 13.5% 5.4% 3.3% 0.1% 9.4% Campbelltown 7.0% 17.9% 24.7% 28.5% 7.6% 2.6% 1.5% 0.1% 10.1% Canterbury-Bankstown 9.8% 20.1% 23.4% 23.5% 7.4% 3.2% 2.2% 0.1% 10.3% Cumberland 9.9% 19.4% 24.4% 24.4% 7.0% 2.8% 1.7% 0.1% 10.3% Fairfield 12.0% 23.0% 23.8% 21.2% 5.9% 2.2% 1.3% 0.1% 10.5% Hawkesbury 5.0% 13.1% 21.8% 30.8% 10.8% 4.7% 2.8% 0.2% 10.8% Liverpool 8.0% 16.8% 22.3% 27.6% 8.9% 3.7% 2.1% 0.2% 10.5% Parramatta 7.1% 12.6% 21.1% 29.6% 11.4% 5.2% 4.0% 0.2% 8.7% Penrith 5.4% 14.3% 22.3% 32.1% 10.0% 3.8% 2.3% 0.2% 9.6% The Hills Shire 4.6% 8.6% 15.3% 27.0% 15.2% 9.8% 8.6% 0.6% 10.3% Wollondilly 4.5% 13.0% 19.2% 31.3% 11.6% 5.5% 3.2% 0.2% 11.5% Lithgow 8.6% 24.2% 22.0% 21.8% 6.5% 2.9% 2.1% 0.1% 11.8% Wingecarribee 5.8% 17.0% 24.0% 25.6% 7.9% 4.2% 3.0% 0.1% 12.4% Source: ABS Census 2016, Tablebuilder Pro Table based on location on Census Night

The most common Weekly Family Income range for all regions was $1,750-$2,999 per week. This varied from 25.5% of households in the Rest of Sydney up to 29.0% in FACS Western Sydney. FACS South West Sydney had the highest proportion of Family Households with an income of $499 per week or less (8.6%) and The Rest of Sydney had the lowest proportion (5.3%). The Rest of Sydney had higher proportions of Family Households on incomes of more than $4,000 per week and the region with the lowest incomes in these ranges was FACS South West Sydney. Figure 1 and Table 4 provide more detailed figures. The lower income level of FACS South West Sydney reflects the LGA data in the above table and commentary. Table 9: Family Income as stated by ranges, Selected Regions, 2016 Total Family Income by number & percentage, GWS LGAs and comparitive regions, 2016 GWS Greater Sydney Rest of Sydney New South Wales FACS Western Sydney FACS South West Region No % No % No % No % No % No % $499 pw or less ($25,999 45,275 7.5% 79,254 6.4% 33,979 5.3% 127,560 6.6% 22,483 6.6% 23,999 8.6% pa or less) $500-$999pw ($26,000 - 97,265 16.2% 168,229 13.5% 70,964 11.0% 314,575 16.2% 48,935 14.4% 51,808 18.5% $51,999 pa) $1,000 -$1,749pw 132,560 22.0% 242,189 19.4% 109,629 17.0% 410,176 21.1% 72,565 21.3% 64,272 22.9% ($52,000 - $90,999 pa) $1,750-$2,999pw 166,847 27.7% 331,639 26.6% 164,792 25.5% 501,363 25.8% 98,708 29.0% 72,625 25.9% ($91,000-$155,999 pa) $3,000-$3,999pw 57,199 9.5% 139,087 11.2% 81,888 12.7% 186,622 9.6% 35,777 10.5% 22,794 8.1% ($156,000 -$207,999 pa) $4,000-$4,999pw 25,049 4.2% 78,076 6.3% 53,027 8.2% 98,244 5.1% 16,384 4.8% 9,365 3.3% ($208,000-$259,999pa) $5,000-$7,999pw 16,805 2.8% 76,249 6.1% 59,444 9.2% 89,604 4.6% 11,446 3.4% 5,862 2.1% ($260,000-$415,999pa) $8,000 or more ($416,000 943 0.2% 3,805 0.3% 2,862 0.4% 4,518 0.2% 644 0.2% 319 0.1% or more) Not Stated 60,102 10.0% 128,525 10.3% 68,423 10.6% 207,591 10.7% 33,128 9.7% 29,210 10.4% Total Family Households 602,045 100% 1,247,053 100% 645,008 100% 1,940,253 100% 340,070 100% 280,254 100% Source: ABS Census 2016, Tablebuilder Pro Table based on location on Census Night

Figure 1: Family Household Income, Selected Regions, 2016

Source: ABS Census 2016, Tablebuilder Pro

Family Blending

Family blending is a way of classifying Couple Families with Children using the relationship between the children and the couple (who may be same or opposite sex). The variable illustrates the way families may change from starting as an intact-family, for a time being a one parent family, before perhaps becoming a step or blended family with a mix of children of both or each of the people in the couple. Other children may also be present who are not the child of either of the couple but may be otherwise related or a foster child. The ABS Fact Sheet on Family Blending (2016) explains the different types of families as: • An intact family contains at least one child who is the natural or adopted child of both partners in the couple, but no step children. • A step family has at least one resident step child, but no child who is the natural or adopted child of both partners. In the Census, a child is considered a step child if they were reported as the step child of one or both partners in the couple, regardless of their dependency status. • A blended family has two or more children; at least one child who is the natural or adopted child of both partners, and at least one who is the step child of one of them. • An other couple family is one that has no resident natural, adopted or step children of either partner.

Intact families, step families and blended families are further classified into those with other children present and those with no other children present. • Other children refers to children who are neither the natural, nor the adopted or step child of either member of the couple, and may include foster children of any age, otherwise related children aged under 15 years, or grandchildren being raised by their grandparents.

Intact families were the most common type of family in all regions with 89.9% in GWS and 91.6% in the Rest of Sydney. Within GWS Parramatta had the highest proportion of Intact Families (93.5%) ahead of Cumberland (92.2%) and The Hills Shire (92.0%). Step Families were the next most common family type but made up only 4.8% of families in GWS and 5.6% in NSW. Within GWS the largest percentage of Step Families were to be found in Blue Mountains and Hawkesbury (7.5% each) and the lowest proportion were in Cumberland and Parramatta (3.6% each). The figures for each type of family for GWS LGAs and comparative regions can be found in Table 10 below.

Table 10: Family Blending by child status, selected regions, 2016

Family Blending (couple families only), selected LGAs & Regions, 2016

Intact family with Step family with Blended family Intact family Step family with Blended family Other couple no other children no other children with no other with other other children with other family with other Total Region present present children present children present present children present children only

No. % No. % No. % No. % No. % No. % No. % Blacktown 43,801 89.2% 2,408 4.9% 1,618 3.3% 975 2.0% 78 0.2% 46 0.1% 204 0.4% 49,130 Blue Mountains 7,950 86.9% 690 7.5% 377 4.1% 78 0.9% 9 0.1% - 0.0% 48 0.5% 9,152 Camden 10,225 87.0% 774 6.6% 552 4.7% 119 1.0% 19 0.2% 14 0.1% 49 0.4% 11,752 Campbelltown 17,595 86.3% 1,253 6.1% 904 4.4% 425 2.1% 42 0.2% 28 0.1% 134 0.7% 20,381 Canterbury-Bankstown 42,381 91.5% 1,856 4.0% 1,088 2.3% 780 1.7% 59 0.1% 21 0.0% 150 0.3% 46,335 Cumberland 26,692 92.2% 1,028 3.6% 580 2.0% 496 1.7% 36 0.1% 23 0.1% 89 0.3% 28,944 Fairfield 23,731 90.2% 1,114 4.2% 656 2.5% 618 2.3% 51 0.2% 28 0.1% 112 0.4% 26,310 Hawkesbury 7,135 85.0% 629 7.5% 441 5.3% 115 1.4% 15 0.2% 9 0.1% 49 0.6% 8,393 Liverpool 26,720 90.6% 1,215 4.1% 899 3.0% 475 1.6% 37 0.1% 36 0.1% 104 0.4% 29,486 Parramatta 29,068 93.5% 1,121 3.6% 442 1.4% 355 1.1% 24 0.1% 12 0.0% 71 0.2% 31,093 Penrith 21,808 85.8% 1,779 7.0% 1,222 4.8% 353 1.4% 59 0.2% 33 0.1% 151 0.6% 25,405 The Hills Shire 24,309 92.0% 1,117 4.2% 618 2.3% 288 1.1% 29 0.1% 13 0.0% 38 0.1% 26,412 Wollondilly 6,010 86.4% 438 6.3% 359 5.2% 95 1.4% 6 0.1% 3 0.0% 46 0.7% 6,957 Lithgow 1,626 83.6% 135 6.9% 119 6.1% 22 1.1% - 0.0% 6 0.3% 38 2.0% 1,946 Wingecarribee 4,324 86.9% 360 7.2% 218 4.4% 38 0.8% - 0.0% 5 0.1% 30 0.6% 4,975 GWS 287,425 89.9% 15,422 4.8% 9,756 3.1% 5,172 1.6% 464 0.1% 266 0.1% 1,245 0.4% 319,750 Rest of Sydney 272,649 91.6% 14,603 4.9% 6,669 2.2% 2,590 0.9% 210 0.1% 102 0.0% 843 0.3% 297,666 FACS Western Sydney 162,389 90.0% 8,907 4.9% 5,417 3.0% 2,682 1.5% 250 0.1% 142 0.1% 688 0.4% 180,475 FACS South West 130,986 89.6% 7,010 4.8% 4,676 3.2% 2,550 1.7% 214 0.1% 135 0.1% 625 0.4% 146,196 New South Wales 791,354 89.2% 49,525 5.6% 29,449 3.3% 10,812 1.2% 1,129 0.1% 619 0.1% 4,467 0.5% 887,355 Greater Sydney 560,074 90.7% 30,025 4.9% 16,425 2.7% 7,762 1.3% 674 0.1% 368 0.1% 2,088 0.3% 617,416 Source: ABS Census 2016, Tablebuilder Pro Table based on location on Census night

Same-sex couple families with children

The data in the following table shows the number of couple family households with children. The ABS identify same-sex couples using the Same-sex Couple Family Indicator (SSFI). To be included, a family must identify as a same-sex couple living in a Defacto relationship. This data has then been cross tabbed with the Count of All Children in Family (CCAF). The result is a count of couple families with children by type of couple with the categories of male same-sex, female same-sex and opposite-sex. The ABS 2011 Census provided the first data of this type for Australia. In the Conversation (22/6/2012), Anne Mitchell outlined the reason why many people, particularly older gay people, may not disclose their relationship status in the Census or for other government purposes. Some reasons were economic while others were due to a habit of a life of silence. As Anne Mitchell stated regarding a 2009 change by Centrelink to acknowledge same-sex relationships “This was a particularly poignant question for gay and lesbian seniors, for whom a lifelong practice of secrecy and denial had been essential for their security”. In GWS in 2016 there were 598 Same-sex Couple Families with Children of which 486 were female same-sex couples and 112 male same-sex couples. The vast majority of Same-sex Couple Families with Children were female couples. This was true in all the selected regions (see Table 11). Overall the number of Same-sex Couple Families with Children were very low.. According to the census there were a total of 2,301 Same-sex couple families with children in New South Wales with 26% of those families living in GWS.

Table 11: Same Sex Couple families, selected regions, 2016

Couple families with children by number of families, Selected Regions, 2016 Male Female Total Same- Opposite- Total Couple Region Same-sex Same-sex sex couples sex couples Families couples couples GWS 112 486 598 319,154 319,755 Rest of Sydney 176 744 920 296,753 297,659 Greater Sydney 288 1,230 1,518 615,907 617,414 FACS Western Sydney 59 297 356 180,105 180,468 FACS South West Sydney 55 209 264 145,957 146,213 New South Wales 368 1,933 2,301 885,068 887,354 Source: ABS Census 2016, Tablebuilder Pro Table based on location on Census night

Grandparent Families

The ABS identify Grandparent Families by the relationships between the reference person and other people in the household. If a person is identified as a grandchild of the reference person and there is no identifiable parent/child relationship then this would be considered a Grandparent Family (ABS Census Fact Sheet). A 2010 report by the Council of the Ageing NSW (COTA NSW) suggests that the number of grandparents raising their grandchildren is most likely underreported. Many grandparents have informal arrangements regarding the care of their grandchildren. This may be due to a need not to antagonise their children if they apply to Centrelink or the family court. There is confusion over what to call these grandparents and many do not know what benefits they can claim to help raise the grandchildren. The CoTA report also states “the reasons for the children living with their grandparents are: child neglect/abuse, parental mental or physical health problems, drug and alcohol misuse, imprisonment, relationship conflict and breakdown, long-term unemployment or the death of a parent” (p12, CoTA, 2010). In GWS there were a total of 6,658 Grandparent Families with 53.3% identifying as Couple Grandparent families and 46.7% as Lone Grandparent Families. GWS was home to 32.1% of all Grandparent Families in NSW and 59.5% of Greater Sydney Grandparent families. In all regions except Rest of Sydney, Couple Grandparent Families outnumbered Lone Grandparent Families. The table below provides detailed figures of the type of Grandparent Families within Couple and Lone Grandparent Families. Couple Grandparent Families tended to have a higher proportion of grandchildren under the age of 15 while Lone Grandparents had a higher proportion of Non-dependent grandchildren. The smallest category for both Couple and Lone Grandparent Families were those with no grandchildren under 15 but with dependent student grandchildren. (See Table 12)

Table 12: Grandparent Families by type and grandchildren present, selected regions, 2016

Grandparent families by type for selected regions, 2016 FACS Western FACS South West GWS (13 LGAs) Rest of Sydney Greater Sydney New South Wales Sydney Sydney Region

No % No % No % No % No % No % Couple family With grandchildren under 15 2,006 30.1% 1,044 23.0% 1,038 29.4% 1,048 31.2% 3,050 27.2% 5,828 28.1% With no grandchildren under 15 and with dependent student grandchildren 581 8.7% 428 9.4% 292 8.3% 307 9.1% 1,009 9.0% 1,742 8.4% With no grandchildren under 15, no dependent student grandchildren and with non-dependent grandchildren 960 14.4% 743 16.4% 525 14.9% 477 14.2% 1,703 15.2% 3,197 15.4% Total couple grandparent families 3,547 53.3% 2,215 48.8% 1,855 52.6% 1,832 54.6% 5,762 51.5% 10,767 51.9% Lone Grandparent With grandchildren under 15 1,189 17.9% 677 14.9% 664 18.8% 565 16.8% 1,866 16.7% 3,884 18.7% With no grandchildren under 15 and with dependent student grandchildren 467 7.0% 464 10.2% 229 6.5% 248 7.4% 931 8.3% 1,594 7.7% With no grandchildren under 15, no dependent student grandchildren and with non-dependent grandchildren 1,455 21.9% 1,183 26.1% 781 22.1% 712 21.2% 2,638 23.6% 4,519 21.8% Total lone grandparent families 3,111 46.7% 2,324 51.2% 1,674 47.4% 1,525 45.4% 5,435 48.5% 9,997 48.1% Total 6,658 100.0% 4,539 100.0% 3,529 100.0% 3,357 100.0% 11,197 100.0% 20,764 100.0% Source: ABS Census 2016, Tablebuilder Pro All categories (with or without other children) Table based on location on Census night

References

Australian Bureau of Statistics – Cat. 3236.0 - Household and Family Projections, Australia, 2011 to 2036 Available online at: http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/[email protected]/Latestproducts/3236.0Main%20Features42011%2 0to%202036 Australian Bureau of Statistics – 2016 Census Dictionary – Available online at: http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/[email protected]/Latestproducts/2901.0Main%20Features12016?o pendocument&tabname=Summary&prodno=2901.0&issue=2016&num=&view= Australian Bureau of Statistics – 2016 Census Fact Sheet – Family Blending Available online at: http://www.abs.gov.au/websitedbs/censushome.nsf/home/factsheetsfb?opendocument&nav pos=450 Australian Bureau of Statistics – 2016 Census Fact Sheet – Grandparent Families Available online at: http://www.abs.gov.au/websitedbs/censushome.nsf/home/factsheetsgp?opendocument&nav pos=450 Australian Institute of Family Studies – Australian Family Trends No. 6 – March 2015 Available online at: https://aifs.gov.au/publications/demographics-living-alone Council of the Ageing, NSW, 2010, “Listening to Grandparents – Report of the NSW Grandparenting Forum available at: http://www.cotansw.com.au/MediaPDFs/2008_Listening_to_Grandparents_Report_COTA_N SW-MACA_-_Copy.pdf Mitchell, A. 22 June 2012, The Conversation “Same Sex Couple counted in the Census – but some stay hidden” available online at https://theconversation.com/same-sex- couples-counted-in-the-census-but-some-stay-hidden-7851