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Demographics

An Indigenous household is defined by the ABS (2001 Census) as being one in which an Indigenous person was resident and present on census night. These are further classified as family, group or lone person households.
There were approximately:

• 145,000 Indigenous households recorded;
• 78% contained one family;
• Approximately 5% were multi-family households;
• 5% were group households;
• Approximately 13% of Indigenous peoples live in lone person households.

According to the 2001 Census the composition of Indigenous families was as follows:

• Couples with dependent children comprise (40%);
• (31%) were one parent families (as opposed to 10% of non-Indigenous families);
• (30%) were couples without children (compared with 50% of non-Indigenous couples);

Indigenous peoples are more likely to live in one or multi-family households than non-Indigenous peoples (82% compared with 70%) and less likely to live in lone person households (13% compared with 24%). Living arrangements vary according to remoteness. For example, multi-family households increase with remoteness whereas one parent families tend to live in major cities.

Family Status of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples

Traditionally, Aboriginal family was a collaboration of clans composed of mothers, fathers, uncles, aunties, brothers, sisters, cousins and so on. The roles of family members were set according to individual positions in the tribe, and families would live together in a communal environment with responsibilities being shared throughout the family. According to a publication in Family Matters Journal most of the problems facing Aboriginal people today stem from generations of oppression and have established in a lack of trust of white society.

A dominant characteristic of the family is the sense of kinship and the feeling of family togetherness and the ability to rely on each other. These positive aspects in most cases can prevail over the hardship and pain of damaging historical events. Despite the disadvantages facing Aboriginal people in contemporary society in terms of housing, employment, education and training families remain strong.

Further information on Aboriginal Family Issues (FAMILY MATTERS no.35 August 1993, pp.51-53)