Income
Equivalised household incomes are incomes that have been adjusted to make it possible to compare the incomes of households of different sizes and compositions.They reflect that larger households need more money to achieve the same standard of living than smaller households.
In 2016, the median equivalised weekly household income for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples aged 15 and over was $623, an increase from $522 in 2011 (AIHW 2019).
In 2016, the median weekly personal income for Indigenous Australians aged 15 and over was $441. Those living in Major cities had higher median weekly personal income ($513) compared to those living in Remote ($388) and Very remote areas ($286) (Figure EW 21).
In 2016, 15% (59,199) of Indigenous Australians aged 18 and over earned a total gross weekly individual income of $150–$299, while 1% (4,812) earned $3,000 or more (Figure EW 22).
Income support
At June 2018, 45% (233,700 recipients) of Indigenous Australians aged 15 and over received some form of income support payment (AIHW 2019). The most common income support was Newstart Allowance (76,200 recipients). Other support types were:
- disability support pension (48,500 recipients)
- parenting payment single (36,800 recipients)
- the age pension (19,900 recipients) (Figure EW 23).
Financial stress
In 2018–19, among Indigenous Australians aged 15 and over:
- 39% (207,900) lived in households that had days without money for basic living expenses in the last 12 months.
- In remote areas, 49% (50,000) lived in households that had days without money for basic living expenses in the last 12 months.
- 53% (268,100) lived in households that could not raise $2,000 within a week in an emergency.
- Those in remote areas (76% or 73,100) were more likely to live in households that could not raise $2,000 within a week in an emergency, than those in non-remote areas (48% or 195,200) (Figure EW 24).