Current Issues Brief 4 1998-99

Socio-Economic Indexes for Electoral Divisions

Gerard Newman
Andrew Kopras
Statistics Group
8 December 1998

Description of the Indexes

Data Limitations

Highlights

Tables

Index of Relative Socio-Economic Advantage by Electoral Division

Electoral Divisions Ranked by the Index of Relative Socio-Economic Advantage

Index of Relative Socio-Economic Disadvantage by Electoral Division

Electoral Divisions Ranked by the Index of Relative Socio-Economic Disadvantage

Index of Economic Resources by Electoral Division

Electoral Divisions Ranked by the Index of Economic Resources

Index of Education and Occupation by Electoral Division

Electoral Divisions Ranked by Index of Education and Occupation

Endnotes

Appendix

Introduction

This paper provides data on four summary indexes, derived from the 1996 Census of Population and Housing, to measure different aspects of socio-economic conditions for Commonwealth Electoral Divisions.

The five-yearly censuses of population conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) collect data on a broad range of social and economic aspects of the Australian population. Each household is required to answer nearly fifty questions, covering such diverse topics as birthplace, occupation, educational qualifications, method of travel to work and ownership of dwellings. While it is possible to compare Electoral Divisions on the basis of each census variable it is often more useful to compare divisions on the basis of a summary of related variables. The indexes shown in this paper have been derived by the ABS for this purpose. A paper comparing Electoral Divisions on the basis of a number of individual census variables has been published previously by the Parliamentary Library.(1)

This paper shows each Electoral Division ranked on the basis of each index together with a description of each index and some notable features of the rankings. It has been produced from data obtained from the Australian Bureau of Statistics for Census Collection Districts (CCD) and aggregated to Commonwealth Electoral Divisions using the methodology recommended by the ABS (for details of the aggregation methodology see the Appendix pages 17-19). A more detailed explanation of the indexes is available from an Information Paper published by the ABS.(2)

Data for each index is presented in two tables. The first table shows each Electoral Division in alphabetical order and the second shows each Electoral Division ranked by the index (divisions are ranked from lowest to highest). The political party holding the Electoral Division after the 1998 election is shown on each table.

In the Highlights section of the paper reference is made to the geographic classification of individual Electoral Divisions. The geographic classification used has been devised by the Australian Electoral Commission, which classifies Electoral Divisions into one of four categories: inner-metropolitan; outer-metropolitan; provincial or rural.

Description of the Indexes

There are four indexes shown in this paper. Each index summarises a different aspect of the socio-economic conditions in the Electoral Divisions. The indexes have been obtained by summarising the information from a variety of social and economic variables. While there are similarities in the rankings of the Electoral Divisions, each index uses a different set of underlying variables.

The four indexes are:

• Index of Relative Socio-Economic Advantage
• Index of Relative Socio-Economic Disadvantage
• Index of Economic Resources
• Index of Education and Occupation.

All the indexes (including the Index of Relative Disadvantage) have been constructed so that relatively advantaged areas have high index values. For the Index of Relative Disadvantage this means that relatively disadvantaged areas have low index numbers. To enable easy recognition of high and low scores, the index scores have been standardised to have a mean of 1000 across all Collection Districts in Australia.

The Index of Relative Socio-Economic Advantage includes variables that measure relative social and economic well-being. Indicators included are: high income families; professional occupations; tertiary educational qualifications; dwellings owner or being purchased; dwellings with a large number of bedrooms and a large number of motor vehicles. A higher score on this index means that the Electoral Division has a relatively large proportion of people with the above attributes (i.e. high incomes, professional occupations, tertiary qualifications, etc.). Conversely, a lower score on this index means that the Electoral Division has a relatively low proportion of people with these characteristics.

The Index of Relative Socio-Economic Advantage was constructed by combining two indexes-the Urban Index of Relative Socio-Economic Advantage and the Rural Index of Relative Socio-Economic Advantage. Because the index is a combination of two other indexes with slightly different components it should be treated with some caution. See the Appendix to this paper for a further explanation of the construction of the index.

As the name implies the Index of Relative Socio-Economic Disadvantage is derived from attributes that indicate relative social and economic hardship. Variables included are low income, low educational attainment, unskilled occupations, unemployment, one-parent families, renting households and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. To maintain consistency with the other indexes the Index of Socio-Economic Disadvantage has been inverted so that advantaged Electoral Divisions have a high index score and disadvantaged divisions have a low score. Thus a high score on this index means that the Electoral Division has relatively fewer people with the above attributes, while a low score indicates relatively more people with these attributes.

In most cases Electoral Divisions that have a high score on the Index of Relative Socio-Economic Advantage will also have a high score on the Index of Relative Socio-Economic Disadvantage. That is, it is possible for an Electoral Division to contain two distinct population groups, one relatively well-off and one relatively less well-off. The Division of Longman in Queensland for example is ranked 74^th (i.e. relatively high) on the Index of Relative Socio-Economic Advantage, yet is ranked just 19^th (i.e. relatively low) on the Index of Relative Socio-Economic Disadvantage.

The Index of Economic Resources reflects the profile of the economic resources of families in Electoral Divisions. The indicators summarised in this index reflect the income and expenditure of families. Variables included are: home owner or purchaser households; high family incomes; high mortgage repayments and high rental payments. Variables covering non-income assets such as dwelling size and number of motor vehicles are also included. A high score on this index means that the Electoral Division has a higher proportion of families with these characteristics, while a low score indicates a lower proportion of families with these characteristics.

The Index of Education and Occupation is designed to reflect the educational and occupation of the population in Electoral Divisions. Education variables included in the index are the level of educational qualification attained or whether further study is being undertaken. Occupational variables include the major occupation groups and the unemployed. An Electoral Division with a high score on this index would have a high concentration of people with higher educational qualifications or undertaking further study and persons employed in higher skilled occupations. A low score indicates a concentration of people with low education attainment, low occupation skills or unemployed persons.

A list of the variables included in each index is shown in the Appendix to this paper.

Data Limitations

The indexes contained in this paper are subject to a number of limitations which should be borne in mind when the indexes are used to compare Electoral Divisions.

Firstly, the indexes include only some of the social and economic variables for which data was collected in the 1996 Census of Population and Housing. There are a number of social and economic indicators, such as wealth, savings, health, access to infrastructure, etc. that effect the well being of the population but were not collected in the census and are therefore not included in the indexes. In addition, the indexes include only a limited number of the available census variables. Some notable exclusions from the indexes are age, country of birth, religion and hours of work.

Secondly, the indexes which have been produced depend upon the variables that have been included and the relative weights attached to those variables. The inclusion of a different range of variables or a different weighting pattern would result in a different index score. The indexes included in this paper are only four of the many indexes that could have been produced using census data.

In addition to the above conceptual limitations in the indexes there are a number of technical limitations. Non-response to individual census items may affect the accuracy of the indexes if there is a socio-economic bias to non-response. Persons in non-private dwellings (e.g. boarding houses, etc.) are under-represented in the indexes as the variables pertaining to families and dwellings include only occupied private dwellings. The census results are based on place of enumeration rather than place of usual residence, thus holiday resort areas (e.g. Gold Coast) may be affected.

Other aspects of the indexes that should be borne in mind when comparing the indexes for different Electoral Divisions are that:

• The indexes are 'ordinal measures' and not 'interval measures'. The indexes can be used to order Electoral Divisions into a ranked order but cannot be used to show that one Division is twice as well off if its index score is twice that of an other Division.
• The indexes reflect the socio-economic well being of an Electoral Division rather than of individuals. Because all people in an Electoral Division are not identical the index scores do not apply to individuals but rather the way people are summed together for the area.
• The degree of heterogeneity within a Collection District influences the index score of that Collection District and hence the Electoral Division; the more homogeneous Collection Districts tend towards the extreme index scores.
• Partly because of the above, the interpretation of the index is more straightforward for Electoral Divisions that have extreme values. For example, it is usually easy to see why an Electoral Division with a high index score has that status, but it is more difficult to draw comparisons between Electoral Divisions with mid-ranked scores.

Highlights

The following section provides comment on the main features of each index. Because of the similar variables used to construct each index there are certain similarities in the rankings of Electoral Divisions for the various indexes. For instance, the division of Bradfield is ranked highest on each index while the divisions of Fowler and Bonython are the two lowest ranked divisions for three out of the four indexes. A number of divisions in the north shore area of Sydney and in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne appear in the top 20 rankings for each index. Similarly a number of rural and outer-metropolitan divisions appear in the bottom 20 rankings for all indexes.

Index of Relative Socio-Economic Advantage

This index measures the relative social and economic well being of the area. The Electoral Division with the highest index score is the Sydney north shore division of Bradfield, while the division with the lowest score is the outer-suburban Adelaide division of Bonython. The median divisions (index score where there are an equal number of divisions above and below that score) are Longman in Queensland and Gippsland in Victoria.

Most of the 20 highest ranked divisions are located on the north shore of Sydney (Bradfield, Berowra, North Sydney, Warringah, Bennelong and Mackellar) and in the Eastern suburbs of Melbourne (Kooyong, Menzies, Higgins and Goldstein). Other divisions to feature in the top 20 are the traditionally well off areas of Brisbane (Ryan) and Perth (Curtin). No South Australian or Tasmanian divisions feature in the top 20. All but three of the top 20 divisions are held by the Liberal Party, the exceptions being the two ACT divisions (Canberra and Fraser) and Melbourne Ports.

Divisions with a low score are typically either outer-suburban or rural. Of the 20 divisions with the lowest score, eight are outer-suburban (Fowler, Chifley and Werriwa in Sydney, Holt in Melbourne, Oxley and Rankin in Brisbane and Bonython and Kingston in Adelaide) and six are rural (Gwydir in New South Wales, Maranoa, Wide Bay and Leichhardt, in Queensland and Grey and Barker in South Australia. Fourteen of the 20 lowest ranked divisions are held by the Labor Party while the six rural divisions are held equally by the Liberal Party and the National Party.

Index of Relative Socio-Economic Disadvantage

This index measures the relative social and economic hardship in an area and to a certain extent displays a similar pattern to the Index of Relative Socio-Economic Advantage described above. It should be noted that to maintain consistency with the other indexes this index has inverted so that the higher the index score the better-off an area is while the lower the index score the less well-off an area is. The Electoral Division with the highest score is Bradfield while the division with the lowest score is the outer-suburban Sydney division of Fowler, centred on Cabramatta. The median divisions are Herbert, based on Townsville in north Queensland, and the northern Perth division of Stirling.

As with the Index of Socio-Economic Advantage most of the 20 highest ranked divisions are located on the north shore of Sydney (Bradfield, North Sydney, Berowra, Warringah, Mackellar and Bennelong) or in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne (Kooyong, Higgins, Menzies, Goldstein and Aston). Two southern Sydney divisions (Hughes and Cook) also feature in the top 20 divisions. All but two of the top 20 divisions are held by the Liberal Party, the exceptions once again being the two Labor Party held divisions in the ACT (Canberra and Fraser).

Rural areas are prominent in the lower ranked divisions, reflecting the lower family incomes and lack of educational opportunities in rural Australia. Of the 20 lowest ranked divisions, nine are rural divisions (Cowper, Gwydir, Lyne and Page in New South Wales, Wide Bay, Hinkler and Longman in Queensland, Grey in South Australia and Braddon in Tasmania). Two provincial divisions, Throsby based on Wollongong and Brand in Western Australia, also feature in the bottom 20. Because of the presence of a number of rural divisions political representation in the bottom 20 divisions is more evenly spread than in the Index of Advantage. Twelve divisions are held by the Labor Party, six by the National Party and two by the Liberal Party.

An indication of the lack of homogeneity within a particular Electoral Division can be obtained by comparing the relative positions on the rankings between the two indexes of advantage and disadvantage. For example, if an Electoral Division has a concentration of people who are relatively well off in one part of the division and a concentration of people who are not so well off in another part this will be reflected in a relatively high ranking on the Index of Advantage and a relatively low ranking on the Index of Disadvantage. By this measure the two least homogenous divisions are Longman, located to the north of Brisbane and the inner-suburban Melbourne. Longman is ranked in the middle (74^th) on the Index of Advantage yet is ranked only 19^th on the Index of Disadvantage. Although Longman is classified as a rural division its southern boundary does contain some outer-suburbs of Brisbane and it would be the disparity in incomes between the suburban and rural components that influence the division's different ranking. The situation in the division of Melbourne is typical of inner-metropolitan areas containing a mixture of well off suburbs and not so well off suburbs. The division of Melbourne is ranked in the top third (105^th) of divisions on the Index of Advantage and is ranked 55^th on the index of Disadvantage. Other divisions to display a wide discrepancy are: Blair in Queensland and Cowper; Page and Gilmore in New South Wales.

Index of Economic Resources

This index measures the economic resources or income and expenditure patterns of families. Not surprisingly the distribution of Electoral Divisions in this index are very similar to the distribution in the Indexes of Advantage and Disadvantage. Once again the Electoral Division with the highest index score is Bradfield in Sydney, while the division with the lowest score is the South Australian rural division of Grey. The median divisions are Werriwa in south-western Sydney and Kingston in southern Adelaide.

As with the Indexes of Advantage and Disadvantage the top 20 places in the rankings for this index are dominated by divisions located in the well-off suburbs in the capital cities, although neither Adelaide nor Hobart divisions are included in the top 20. All but two of the top 20 divisions are held by the Liberal Party, the exceptions being Canberra and the north-eastern Melbourne division of Jagajaga.

At the bottom end of the rankings rural divisions predominate, reflecting low family incomes and low rental and mortgage payments in rural Australia. The Index of Economic Resources is the only index where the Coalition parties hold more divisions in the bottom 20 than the Labor Party. The preponderance of rural divisions at the lower end of the rankings is further emphasised by the fact that the National Party holds no divisions with a score above the median.

Index of Education and Occupation

This index is designed to measure the educational attainment and occupational status of the population. Like the other indexes a familiar pattern emerges. The division with the highest ranking is Bradfield, while the division with the lowest ranking is Bonython. The median divisions are the south-eastern Melbourne division of Isaacs and the south-eastern Brisbane division of Fadden.

Once again the top 20 places in the rankings for this index are dominated by divisions located on the north shore of Sydney and in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne. However, there are a number of divisions appearing in the top 20 for this index that are not in the top 20 for the other indexes. These divisions are: Sydney; Melbourne; Brisbane and the eastern suburbs of Melbourne division of Chisholm. The high ranking for these divisions is probably a function of the location of tertiary education institutions in or near these divisions. Given the more diverse spread of divisions in the top 20 it is not surprising to find that the political complexion is also more evenly spread. Of the top 20 divisions, the Liberal Party holds 13, while the Labor Party holds seven.

Rural divisions make up the majority of the divisions at the bottom end of the rankings, reflecting the lack of tertiary education opportunities and professional occupational groups in rural Australia. Perhaps reflecting the gentrification of the inner suburbs of the capital cities, no inner-metropolitan divisions are in the bottom 20. Out of the 20 divisions at the bottom of the rankings, the Labor Party holds 11 divisions, while the National Party holds five and the Liberal Party four.

Endnotes

1. A Kopras, Electorate Rankings: Census 1996, Background Paper No. 14 1997-98, Department of the Parliamentary Library, 1998.
2. Australian Bureau of Statistics, 1996 Census of Population and Housing: Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas, Information Paper, Cat.No. 2039.0 ABS Canberra, 1998.

Index of Relative Socio-Economic Advantage by Electoral Division


1997 Electoral Boundaries
1996 Census of Population and Housing

Electoral Division	Party	Index		Electoral Division	Party	Index
Adelaide (SA)	LIB	1,033.1		Hunter (NSW)	ALP	964.1
Aston (Vic)	LIB	1,055.4		Indi (Vic)	LIB	983.4
Ballarat (Vic)	LIB	999.9		Isaacs (Vic)	ALP	969.1
Banks (NSW)	ALP	1,005.4		Jagajaga (Vic)	ALP	1,065.6
Barker (SA)	LIB	950.1		Kalgoorlie (WA)	LIB	956.2
Barton (NSW)	ALP	1,005.5		Kennedy (Qld)	NP	953.8
Bass (Tas)	ALP	975.6		Kingsford-Smith (NSW)	ALP	991.5
Batman (Vic)	ALP	961.2		Kingston (SA)	ALP	949.5
Bendigo (Vic)	ALP	995.7		Kooyong (Vic)	LIB	1,168.2
Bennelong (NSW)	LIB	1,083.7		Lalor (Vic)	ALP	960.0
Berowra (NSW)	LIB	1,149.0		La Trobe (Vic)	LIB	1,022.6
Blair (Qld)	LIB	983.9		Leichhardt (Qld)	LIB	950.4
Blaxland (NSW)	ALP	936.4		Lilley (Qld)	ALP	997.3
Bonython (SA)	ALP	889.7		Lindsay (NSW)	LIB	983.5
Boothby (SA)	LIB	1,053.2		Longman (Qld)	LIB	985.7
Bowman (Qld)	ALP	999.5		Lowe (NSW)	ALP	1,052.8
Braddon (Tas)	ALP	960.4		Lyne (NSW)	NP	971.7
Bradfield (NSW)	LIB	1,261.4		Lyons (Tas)	ALP	979.2
Brand (WA)	ALP	978.8		Macarthur (NSW)	LIB	1,017.3
Brisbane (Qld)	ALP	1,043.1		Mackellar (NSW)	LIB	1,081.5
Bruce (Vic)	ALP	1,038.3		Macquarie (NSW)	LIB	1,039.1
Burke (Vic)	ALP	1,004.3		Makin (SA)	LIB	978.1
Calare (NSW)	IND	983.5		Mallee (Vic)	NP	958.6
Calwell (Vic)	ALP	963.6		Maranoa (Qld)	NP	938.6
Canberra (ACT)	ALP	1,097.5		Maribyrnong (Vic)	ALP	979.2
Canning (WA)	ALP	979.6		Mayo (SA)	LIB	1,061.1
Capricornia (Qld)	ALP	965.2		McEwen (Vic)	LIB	1,018.8
Casey (Vic)	LIB	1,016.9		McMillan (Vic)	ALP	983.6
Charlton (NSW)	ALP	982.1		McPherson (Qld)	LIB	978.4
Chifley (NSW)	ALP	907.7		Melbourne (Vic)	ALP	1,018.6
Chisholm (Vic)	ALP	1,060.5		Melbourne Ports (Vic)	ALP	1,068.5
Cook (NSW)	LIB	1,068.5		Menzies (Vic)	LIB	1,145.2
Corangamite (Vic)	LIB	1,026.4		Mitchell (NSW)	LIB	1,176.3
Corio (Vic)	ALP	959.9		Moncrieff (Qld)	LIB	974.6
Cowan (WA)	ALP	1,028.5		Moore (WA)	LIB	1,060.3
Cowper (NSW)	NP	978.2		Moreton (Qld)	LIB	1,048.5
Cunningham (NSW)	ALP	1,009.5		Murray (Vic)	LIB	959.2
Curtin (WA)	LIB	1,143.0		Newcastle (NSW)	ALP	987.6
Dawson (Qld)	NP	954.0		New England (NSW)	NP	984.0
Deakin (Vic)	LIB	1,042.2		North Sydney (NSW)	LIB	1,145.5
Denison (Tas)	ALP	1,010.1		Northern Territory (NT)	ALP	954.5
Dickson (Qld)	ALP	1,022.5		O'Connor (WA)	LIB	955.8
Dobell (NSW)	ALP	980.3		Oxley (Qld)	ALP	927.7
Dunkley (Vic)	LIB	1,003.1		Page (NSW)	NP	979.7
Eden-Monaro (NSW)	LIB	1,001.7		Parkes (NSW)	NP	957.2
Fadden (Qld)	LIB	1,013.7		Parramatta (NSW)	LIB	1,033.6
Fairfax (Qld)	LIB	986.5		Paterson (NSW)	ALP	981.4
Farrer (NSW)	NP	964.7		Pearce (WA)	LIB	1,056.8
Fisher (Qld)	LIB	982.4		Perth (WA)	ALP	991.9
Flinders (Vic)	LIB	996.1		Petrie (Qld)	LIB	1,001.6
Forde (Qld)	LIB	989.5		Port Adelaide (SA)	ALP	938.4
Forrest (WA)	LIB	981.6		Prospect (NSW)	ALP	956.3
Fowler (NSW)	ALP	900.0		Rankin (Qld)	ALP	946.7
Franklin (Tas)	ALP	1,000.0		Reid (NSW)	ALP	924.0
Fraser (ACT)	ALP	1,091.6		Richmond (NSW)	NP	979.9
Fremantle (WA)	ALP	1,015.7		Riverina (NSW)	NP	968.4
Gellibrand (Vic)	ALP	945.3		Robertson (NSW)	LIB	992.8
Gilmore (NSW)	LIB	1,004.2		Ryan (Qld)	LIB	1,151.0
Gippsland (Vic)	NP	985.9		Scullin (Vic)	ALP	975.4
Goldstein (Vic)	LIB	1,111.3		Shortland (NSW)	ALP	976.6
Grayndler (NSW)	ALP	985.9		Stirling (WA)	ALP	1,015.8
Greenway (NSW)	ALP	973.1		Sturt (SA)	LIB	1,041.7
Grey (SA)	LIB	937.8		Swan (WA)	ALP	993.5
Griffith (Qld)	ALP	1,036.8		Sydney (NSW)	ALP	1,043.3
Groom (Qld)	LIB	984.5		Tangney (WA)	LIB	1,110.9
Gwydir (NSW)	NP	944.0		Throsby (NSW)	ALP	939.0
Herbert (Qld)	LIB	967.5		Wakefield (SA)	LIB	979.8
Higgins (Vic)	LIB	1,123.6		Wannon (Vic)	LIB	967.6
Hindmarsh (SA)	LIB	984.1		Warringah (NSW)	LIB	1,120.2
Hinkler (Qld)	NP	954.0		Watson (NSW)	ALP	951.0
Holt (Vic)	ALP	939.7		Wentworth (NSW)	LIB	1,098.2
Hotham (Vic)	ALP	987.7		Werriwa (NSW)	ALP	938.0
Hughes (NSW)	LIB	1,076.1		Wide Bay (Qld)	NP	950.2
Hume (NSW)	LIB	973.7		Wills (Vic)	ALP	978.7

Electoral Divisions Ranked by the Index of Relative Socio-Economic Advantage


1997 Electoral Boundaries
1996 Census of Population and Housing

Rank	Electoral Division	Party	Index		Rank	Electoral Division	Party	Index
1	Bonython (SA)	ALP	889.7		75	Gippsland (Vic)	NP	985.9
2	Fowler (NSW)	ALP	900.0		76	Grayndler (NSW)	ALP	985.9
3	Chifley (NSW)	ALP	907.7		77	Fairfax (Qld)	LIB	986.5
4	Reid (NSW)	ALP	924.0		78	Newcastle (NSW)	ALP	987.6
5	Oxley (Qld)	ALP	927.7		79	Hotham (Vic)	ALP	987.7
6	Blaxland (NSW)	ALP	936.4		80	Forde (Qld)	LIB	989.5
7	Grey (SA)	LIB	937.8		81	Kingsford-Smith (NSW)	ALP	991.5
8	Werriwa (NSW)	ALP	938.0		82	Perth (WA)	ALP	991.9
9	Port Adelaide (SA)	ALP	938.4		83	Robertson (NSW)	LIB	992.8
10	Maranoa (Qld)	NP	938.6		84	Swan (WA)	ALP	993.5
11	Throsby (NSW)	ALP	939.0		85	Bendigo (Vic)	ALP	995.7
12	Holt (Vic)	ALP	939.7		86	Flinders (Vic)	LIB	996.1
13	Gwydir (NSW)	NP	944.0		87	Lilley (Qld)	ALP	997.3
14	Gellibrand (Vic)	ALP	945.3		88	Bowman (Qld)	ALP	999.5
15	Rankin (Qld)	ALP	946.7		89	Ballarat (Vic)	LIB	999.9
16	Kingston (SA)	ALP	949.5		90	Franklin (Tas)	ALP	1000.0
17	Barker (SA)	LIB	950.1		91	Petrie (Qld)	LIB	1001.6
18	Wide Bay (Qld)	NP	950.2		92	Eden-Monaro (NSW)	LIB	1001.7
19	Leichhardt (Qld)	LIB	950.4		93	Dunkley (Vic)	LIB	1003.1
20	Watson (NSW)	ALP	951.0		94	Gilmore (NSW)	LIB	1004.2
21	Kennedy (Qld)	NP	953.8		95	Burke (Vic)	ALP	1004.3
22	Hinkler (Qld)	NP	954.0		96	Banks (NSW)	ALP	1005.4
23	Dawson (Qld)	NP	954.0		97	Barton (NSW)	ALP	1005.5
24	Northern Territory (NT)	ALP	954.5		98	Cunningham (NSW)	ALP	1009.5
25	O'Connor (WA)	LIB	955.8		99	Denison (Tas)	ALP	1010.1
26	Kalgoorlie (WA)	LIB	956.2		100	Fadden (Qld)	LIB	1013.7
27	Prospect (NSW)	ALP	956.3		101	Fremantle (WA)	ALP	1015.7
28	Parkes (NSW)	NP	957.2		102	Stirling (WA)	ALP	1015.8
29	Mallee (Vic)	NP	958.6		103	Casey (Vic)	LIB	1016.9
30	Murray (Vic)	LIB	959.2		104	Macarthur (NSW)	LIB	1017.3
31	Corio (Vic)	ALP	959.9		105	Melbourne (Vic)	ALP	1018.6
32	Lalor (Vic)	ALP	960.0		106	McEwen (Vic)	LIB	1018.8
33	Braddon (Tas)	ALP	960.4		107	Dickson (Qld)	ALP	1022.5
34	Batman (Vic)	ALP	961.2		108	La Trobe (Vic)	LIB	1022.6
35	Calwell (Vic)	ALP	963.6		109	Corangamite (Vic)	LIB	1026.4
36	Hunter (NSW)	ALP	964.1		110	Cowan (WA)	ALP	1028.5
37	Farrer (NSW)	NP	964.7		111	Adelaide (SA)	LIB	1033.1
38	Capricornia (Qld)	ALP	965.2		112	Parramatta (NSW)	LIB	1033.6
39	Herbert (Qld)	LIB	967.5		113	Griffith (Qld)	ALP	1036.8
40	Wannon (Vic)	LIB	967.6		114	Bruce (Vic)	ALP	1038.3
41	Riverina (NSW)	NP	968.4		115	Macquarie (NSW)	LIB	1039.1
42	Isaacs (Vic)	ALP	969.1		116	Sturt (SA)	LIB	1041.7
43	Lyne (NSW)	NP	971.7		117	Deakin (Vic)	LIB	1042.2
44	Greenway (NSW)	ALP	973.1		118	Brisbane (Qld)	ALP	1043.1
45	Hume (NSW)	LIB	973.7		119	Sydney (NSW)	ALP	1043.3
46	Moncrieff (Qld)	LIB	974.6		120	Moreton (Qld)	LIB	1048.5
47	Scullin (Vic)	ALP	975.4		121	Lowe (NSW)	ALP	1052.8
48	Bass (Tas)	ALP	975.6		122	Boothby (SA)	LIB	1053.2
49	Shortland (NSW)	ALP	976.6		123	Aston (Vic)	LIB	1055.4
50	Makin (SA)	LIB	978.1		124	Pearce (WA)	LIB	1056.8
51	Cowper (NSW)	NP	978.2		125	Moore (WA)	LIB	1060.3
52	McPherson (Qld)	LIB	978.4		126	Chisholm (Vic)	ALP	1060.5
53	Wills (Vic)	ALP	978.7		127	Mayo (SA)	LIB	1061.1
54	Brand (WA)	ALP	978.8		128	Jagajaga (Vic)	ALP	1065.6
55	Lyons (Tas)	ALP	979.2		129	Melbourne Ports (Vic)	ALP	1068.5
56	Maribyrnong (Vic)	ALP	979.2		130	Cook (NSW)	LIB	1068.5
57	Canning (WA)	ALP	979.6		131	Hughes (NSW)	LIB	1076.1
58	Page (NSW)	NP	979.7		132	Mackellar (NSW)	LIB	1081.5
59	Wakefield (SA)	LIB	979.8		133	Bennelong (NSW)	LIB	1083.7
60	Richmond (NSW)	NP	979.9		134	Fraser (ACT)	ALP	1091.6
61	Dobell (NSW)	ALP	980.3		135	Canberra (ACT)	ALP	1097.5
62	Paterson (NSW)	ALP	981.4		136	Wentworth (NSW)	LIB	1098.2
63	Forrest (WA)	LIB	981.6		137	Tangney (WA)	LIB	1110.9
64	Charlton (NSW)	ALP	982.1		138	Goldstein (Vic)	LIB	1111.3
65	Fisher (Qld)	LIB	982.4		139	Warringah (NSW)	LIB	1120.2
66	Indi (Vic)	LIB	983.4		140	Higgins (Vic)	LIB	1123.6
67	Calare (NSW)	IND	983.5		141	Curtin (WA)	LIB	1143.0
68	Lindsay (NSW)	LIB	983.5		142	Menzies (Vic)	LIB	1145.2
69	McMillan (Vic)	ALP	983.6		143	North Sydney (NSW)	LIB	1145.5
70	Blair (Qld)	LIB	983.9		144	Berowra (NSW)	LIB	1149.0
71	New England (NSW)	NP	984.0		145	Ryan (Qld)	LIB	1151.0
72	Hindmarsh (SA)	LIB	984.1		146	Kooyong (Vic)	LIB	1168.2
73	Groom (Qld)	LIB	984.5		147	Mitchell (NSW)	LIB	1176.3
74	Longman (Qld)	LIB	985.7		148	Bradfield (NSW)	LIB	1261.4

Index of Relative Socio-Economic Disadvantage by Electoral Division


1997 Electoral Boundaries
1996 Census of Population and Housing

Electoral Division	Party	Index		Electoral Division	Party	Index
Adelaide (SA)	LIB	1,017.7		Hunter (NSW)	ALP	960.3
Aston (Vic)	LIB	1,074.3		Indi (Vic)	LIB	1,002.5
Ballarat (Vic)	LIB	988.3		Isaacs (Vic)	ALP	1,014.1
Banks (NSW)	ALP	1,008.1		Jagajaga (Vic)	ALP	1,068.8
Barker (SA)	LIB	963.1		Kalgoorlie (WA)	LIB	966.4
Barton (NSW)	ALP	1,019.2		Kennedy (Qld)	NP	959.9
Bass (Tas)	ALP	969.2		Kingsford-Smith (NSW)	ALP	1,007.9
Batman (Vic)	ALP	945.6		Kingston (SA)	ALP	983.7
Bendigo (Vic)	ALP	979.1		Kooyong (Vic)	LIB	1,135.1
Bennelong (NSW)	LIB	1,086.9		Lalor (Vic)	ALP	998.4
Berowra (NSW)	LIB	1,127.7		La Trobe (Vic)	LIB	1,058.7
Blair (Qld)	LIB	959.6		Leichhardt (Qld)	LIB	983.0
Blaxland (NSW)	ALP	942.4		Lilley (Qld)	ALP	1,001.3
Bonython (SA)	ALP	878.3		Lindsay (NSW)	LIB	1,025.1
Boothby (SA)	LIB	1,047.5		Longman (Qld)	LIB	951.6
Bowman (Qld)	ALP	1,007.8		Lowe (NSW)	ALP	1,049.8
Braddon (Tas)	ALP	943.9		Lyne (NSW)	NP	950.4
Bradfield (NSW)	LIB	1,169.7		Lyons (Tas)	ALP	956.3
Brand (WA)	ALP	946.4		Macarthur (NSW)	LIB	1,026.4
Brisbane (Qld)	ALP	1,040.1		Mackellar (NSW)	LIB	1,096.6
Bruce (Vic)	ALP	1,022.9		Macquarie (NSW)	LIB	1,049.8
Burke (Vic)	ALP	1,026.8		Makin (SA)	LIB	1,018.8
Calare (NSW)	IND	986.6		Mallee (Vic)	NP	989.8
Calwell (Vic)	ALP	979.7		Maranoa (Qld)	NP	965.2
Canberra (ACT)	ALP	1,102.5		Maribyrnong (Vic)	ALP	975.2
Canning (WA)	ALP	972.9		Mayo (SA)	LIB	1,063.1
Capricornia (Qld)	ALP	973.7		McEwen (Vic)	LIB	1,030.3
Casey (Vic)	LIB	1,055.3		McMillan (Vic)	ALP	983.5
Charlton (NSW)	ALP	981.4		McPherson (Qld)	LIB	979.8
Chifley (NSW)	ALP	932.4		Melbourne (Vic)	ALP	980.1
Chisholm (Vic)	ALP	1,054.0		Melbourne Ports (Vic)	ALP	1,067.8
Cook (NSW)	LIB	1,073.1		Menzies (Vic)	LIB	1,099.8
Corangamite (Vic)	LIB	1,032.7		Mitchell (NSW)	LIB	1,126.1
Corio (Vic)	ALP	961.7		Moncrieff (Qld)	LIB	990.0
Cowan (WA)	ALP	1,021.9		Moore (WA)	LIB	1,057.0
Cowper (NSW)	NP	943.1		Moreton (Qld)	LIB	1,036.9
Cunningham (NSW)	ALP	1,002.0		Murray (Vic)	LIB	991.2
Curtin (WA)	LIB	1,100.6		Newcastle (NSW)	ALP	968.1
Dawson (Qld)	NP	975.9		New England (NSW)	NP	991.7
Deakin (Vic)	LIB	1,055.2		North Sydney (NSW)	LIB	1,132.5
Denison (Tas)	ALP	1,014.7		Northern Territory (NT)	ALP	962.1
Dickson (Qld)	ALP	1,045.3		O'Connor (WA)	LIB	981.8
Dobell (NSW)	ALP	981.7		Oxley (Qld)	ALP	933.9
Dunkley (Vic)	LIB	1,015.4		Page (NSW)	NP	953.9
Eden-Monaro (NSW)	LIB	1,006.6		Parkes (NSW)	NP	957.9
Fadden (Qld)	LIB	1,020.1		Parramatta (NSW)	LIB	1,039.6
Fairfax (Qld)	LIB	966.3		Paterson (NSW)	ALP	972.5
Farrer (NSW)	NP	993.9		Pearce (WA)	LIB	1,031.4
Fisher (Qld)	LIB	971.8		Perth (WA)	ALP	982.5
Flinders (Vic)	LIB	996.1		Petrie (Qld)	LIB	996.0
Forde (Qld)	LIB	975.5		Port Adelaide (SA)	ALP	916.2
Forrest (WA)	LIB	979.4		Prospect (NSW)	ALP	957.3
Fowler (NSW)	ALP	877.7		Rankin (Qld)	ALP	961.8
Franklin (Tas)	ALP	984.2		Reid (NSW)	ALP	939.3
Fraser (ACT)	ALP	1,078.7		Richmond (NSW)	NP	959.3
Fremantle (WA)	ALP	993.8		Riverina (NSW)	NP	994.6
Gellibrand (Vic)	ALP	914.4		Robertson (NSW)	LIB	999.3
Gilmore (NSW)	LIB	980.0		Ryan (Qld)	LIB	1,114.0
Gippsland (Vic)	NP	989.2		Scullin (Vic)	ALP	1,000.0
Goldstein (Vic)	LIB	1,097.6		Shortland (NSW)	ALP	960.2
Grayndler (NSW)	ALP	1,002.4