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Census enumeration in remote Australia: Issues for aboriginal data analysis

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Abstract

Given the crucial role played by census data in informing economic and social policies directed at the Aboriginal population in remote areas, some assessment of the quality of remote area data is required as these are derived from enumeration procedures which differ fundamentally from the standard approach employed in the census. This paper discusses the remote area census enumeration strategy employed by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), with a particular focus on the Northern Territory, and highlights possible implications for the interpretation of census counts and census characteristics.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research, The Australian National University, A.C.T. 0200, Canberra

    John Taylor

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  1. John Taylor
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Additional information

A version of this paper entitled, ‘Aboriginal population change in remote Australia, 1986–1991: data issues’, was originally presented at the Sixth Annual Conference of the Australian Population Association held in Sydney, in November 1992 and also appeared asCAEPR Discussion Paper No. 34, Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research, The Australian National University, Canberra.

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Taylor, J. Census enumeration in remote Australia: Issues for aboriginal data analysis. Journal of Population Research 10, 53–67 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03029845

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