Trends in spatial income inequality, 1996 to 2001 : Money, money, money – is this a rich man’s world?

Many of us empathise with the line in Midnight Oil’s song, Read about it, where, ‘The rich get richer, the poor get the picture’. Surveys reveal that Australians believe the gap between rich and poor is growing. But is this just a perception or is it based on fact? In this issue of the AMP.NATSEM Income and Wealth Report, we compare the income of households by postcode based on figures from the 1996 and 2001 Census to determine who exactly is getting richer, and whether any groups have been left behind. This report follows on from the first AMP.NATSEM Report on ‘Trends in Taxable Income’ which examined taxation statistics by postcode to determine the most affluent and the poorest areas of the nation. This time, the report divides postcodes into ten equal groups according to gross income to reveal: • where the most affluent and poorest areas of Australia are located • who has benefited from the past few years of strong economic growth and falling unemployment • how household incomes in 2001 compare with those of 1996 • which regions have fared well and which ones haven’t during the five years between 1996 and 2001, and • income, education, employment and homeownership differences between the Top 10% and Bottom 10%, with some surprising results!