Torres Strait Islanders

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• Torres Strait Islanders
• Bill Arthur
• Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research

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• A 1992 pre NATSIS workshop
• A 1996 post NATSIS workshop
• A joint NATSIS publication with ABS in 1997
• How does 2002 NATSISS shape up when compared with
  these earlier events?

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• State level policies for Islanders only in
  Queensland
• Islanders in Strait differ socioeconomically from
  those on Queensland mainland
• Islanders differ socioeconomically from
  Aboriginal people nationally

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Relevant population groupings?
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1992 pre NATSIS workshop

• Few standard ABS publications specifically on
  Islanders
• In Torres Strait Islander incomes derived from a
  mixed (hybrid) economy
• In Torres Strait dinghies were more relevant than
  cars
• In Torres Strait Creole was a significant
  language
• Censuses may provide most of the necessary data
  on Islanders

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1996 post NATSIS workshop

• Some quite good new data
• Only data for Indigenous in Torres Strait
  (defacto Islander)
• A joint publication with ABS compared Islanders
  in Torres Strait, with those in the rest of
  Queensland
• No Islander data were provided for other States
• Could not compare all Islanders and all
  Aboriginal people

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2002 data, Cat 4714.0 Standard Publication

• All Islanders versus All Aboriginal people
  possible
• (but no data at State/Territory level?)
• Islanders in Strait versus in rest of Queensland
  possible
• Islanders in Strait versus rest of Australia
  possible

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2002, Torres Strait and mainland
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2002, All Islanders and all Aboriginal people
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The ABS Report Card
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The ABS Report Card
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The ABS Report Card
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The ABS Report Card
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The ABS Report Card
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The ABS Report Card
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The ABS Report Card
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Sum up

• Many of the data are just as we would expect.
• There are not many Islanders, and they are a
  small part of the Australian Indigenous
  population, making them quite hard to pick up in
  a national Indigenous survey.
• The data and the geography of the data seem okay.
  
• No data by States other than Queensland, but are
  they really necessary?
• Steady as she goes?