Jon Altman

Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research

The Australian National University

Thinking Indigenous economy:A brief survey 1964 to 2014

AIATSIS ConferenceBreaking the Barriers in Indigenous Research and

Thinking

Indigenous census counts, 1971-2011

1971 1976 1981 1986 1991 1996 2001 2006 20110

100,000

200,000

300,000

400,000

500,000

600,000

115,953

160,915159,897

227,645

265,459

352,970

410,003

455,031

548,370

Ind

ige

no

us

cen

sus

cou

nt

Variable 1971 1981 1991 2001 2011

Unemployment rate (% labour force) 9.0 24.6 30.8 20.0 17.1

Employment to population ratio (% adults) 42.0 35.7 37.1 41.7 44.2

Private-sector employment (% adults) 29.7 17.2 20.5 n.a. 31.8

Labour force participation rate (% adults) 46.1 47.3 53.5 52.1 53.3

Median weekly personal income ($A 2011) n.a. 250 282 284 362

Socioeconomic outcomes for Indigenous Australians, 1971-2011

Variable 1971 1981 1991 2001 2011

Unemployment rate (% labour force) 5.63 4.24 2.70 2.78 3.17

Employment to population ratio (% adults) 0.73 0.61 0.66 0.71 0.71

Private-sector employment (% adults) 0.65 0.42 0.51 n.a. 0.62

Labour force participation rate (% adults) 0.78 0.77 0.84 0.82 0.81

Median weekly personal income ($A 2011) n.a. 0.55 0.62 0.56 0.62

Ratio of Indigenous to non-Indigenous socioeconomic outcomes, 1971-2011

1971 1976 1981 1986 1991 1996 2001 2006 20110.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

0.8

0.9

1.0

Employment to population ratio (% adults)Private-sector employment (% adults)Labour force participation rate (% adults)Median weekly personal income ($A 2011)

Ra

tio o

f o

utc

om

es

Ratio of Indigenous to non-Indigenous socioeconomic outcomes, 1971-2011

Indigenous dispossession and legal repossession

Land rights and ownership under three tenures

Distribution of Indigenous population

Distribution of Discrete Indigenous Communities

Land rights, ownership and registered claims

Estimated Indigenous Population

Estimated Non-Indigenous population

% of region Indigenous

% of total Indigenous population

Area (% Australia)

Native title (exclusive possession) 14,308 3,093 82% 2% 9%

Land rights lands, 2013 60,233 13,939 81% 9% 13%

Native title (non-exclusive possession) 2,617 12,438 17% 0% 9%

Registered claims (excluding native title or land rights lands)

195,915 5,866,930 3% 30% 39%

Any of the above 273,073 5,896,401 4% 41% 70%

Australia 660,903 21,423,504 3% 100% 100%

Indigenous population and interests in land

The Hybrid Economy