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Research Note Index

Research Note no.61 2003–04

Same-sex couples by Commonwealth Electoral Division

Gerard Newman
Statistics Section
15 June 2004

Introduction

On 27 May 2004 the Attorney-General introduced legislation(1) to amend the Marriage Act 1961 to, inter alia, define 'marriage' as the union of a man and a woman and to prevent same-sex couples from adopting children from overseas. The proposed amendments and the ensuing debate have raised interest in the question of the number of same-sex couples in Australia.

Statistics on the number of same-sex couples in Australia have been collected in the last two Censuses of Population and Housing. This Research Note shows the number of same-sex couples enumerated at the 2001 Census for each Commonwealth Electoral Division. The table on the following page shows the number of same-sex couples and the party holding the division for each current Commonwealth Electoral Divisions.

Data collection

Every five years the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) conducts a Census of Population and Housing. Among the statistics collected in this exercise is data on family relationships and marital status. The ABS began collecting and tabulating data on same-sex couples at the 1996 Census. Prior to the 1996 Census data on same-sex couples was not collected.

For the Census the ABS uses the concept of 'Social Marital Status' to define relationships. Under this concept a marriage exists 'when two people live together as husband and wife, or partners, regardless of whether the marriage is formalised through registration'. Information on social marital status is collected in the relationship question (question 5) of the Census schedule. Same-sex couples are defined as 'two persons of the same sex who report a de facto partnership in the relationship question, and who are usually resident in the same household'.(2)

The Census form thus requires same-sex couples to volunteer information about their relationship rather than have such information explicitly asked for. This may lead to some degree of understatement of the number of same-sex couples as it may not be immediately apparent that this is a valid option for the Census form. Another potential source of undercounting could be the possible reluctance of same-sex couples to identify as such in an 'official form'.

Highlights

At the 2001 Census there were 19 594 same-sex couples in Australia. This represents a significant increase on the number enumerated at the 1996 Census. Same-sex couples represent 0.5 per cent of the number of couples (both registered married and de facto married) in Australia at the 2001 Census.

A notable feature of the data is the concentration of same-sex couples in two electoral divisions. The inner Sydney divisions of Sydney and Grayndler together contain 3443 same-sex couples, or 17.6 per cent of the same-sex couples enumerated at the 2001 Census. Same-sex couples tend to be concentrated in inner-city divisions of the capital cities (particularly Sydney and Melbourne). On the other hand, rural and regional divisions tend to have low numbers of same-sex couples enumerated. A number of metropolitan divisions (both inner-metropolitan and outer-metropolitan) also have low numbers of same-sex couples enumerated.

The average number of same-sex couples per electoral division is 130 while the median is 79 couples. Almost two-thirds of the divisions have less than 100 same-sex couples enumerated.

1.     Marriage Legislation Amendment Bill 2004. See Jennifer Norberry, 'Marriage Legislation Amendment Bill 2004', Bills Digest, no. 155, Parliamentary Library, Canberra, 2003-04.

2.     Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2001 Census Dictionary, Australian Bureau of Statistics, Canberra, 2001.

Same-sex couples by Commonwealth Electoral Division
2001 Census of Population and Housing

Division

Party

No

Division

Party

No

Division

Party

No

Adelaide (SA)

LIB

284

Forde (Qld)

LIB

86

Maribyrnong (Vic)

ALP

30

Aston (Vic)

LIB

39

Forrest (WA)

LIB

54

Mayo (SA)

LIB

95

Ballarat (Vic)

ALP

124

Fowler (NSW)

ALP

40

McEwen (Vic)

LIB

83

Banks (NSW)

ALP

85

Franklin (Tas)

ALP

58

McMillan (Vic)

ALP

37

Barker (SA)

LIB

46

Fraser (ACT)

ALP

319

McPherson (Qld)

LIB

103

Barton (NSW)

ALP

131

Fremantle (WA)

ALP

109

Melbourne (Vic)

ALP

741

Bass (Tas)

ALP

51

Gellibrand (Vic)

ALP

268

Melbourne Ports (Vic)

ALP

629

Batman (Vic)

ALP

428

Gilmore (NSW)

LIB

72

Menzies (Vic)

LIB

43

Bendigo (Vic)

ALP

71

Gippsland (Vic)

NP

45

Mitchell (NSW)

LIB

56

Bennelong (NSW)

LIB

121

Goldstein (Vic)

LIB

131

Moncrieff (Qld)

LIB

156

Berowra (NSW)

LIB

78

Grayndler (NSW)

ALP

1178

Moore (WA)

LIB

58

Blair (Qld)

LIB

47

Greenway (NSW)

ALP

84

Moreton (Qld)

LIB

144

Blaxland (NSW)

ALP

39

Grey (SA)

LIB

30

Murray (Vic)

LIB

31

Bonython (SA)

ALP

66

Griffith (Qld)

ALP

215

New England (NSW)

IND

57

Boothby (SA)

LIB

103

Groom (Qld)

LIB

33

Newcastle (NSW)

ALP

195

Bowman (Qld)

ALP

76

Gwydir (NSW)

NP

31

North Sydney (NSW)

LIB

268

Braddon (Tas)

ALP

21

Hasluck (WA)

ALP

87

O'Connor (WA)

LIB

34

Bradfield (NSW)

LIB

83

Herbert (Qld)

LIB

118

Oxley (Qld)

ALP

79

Brand (WA)

ALP

57

Higgins (Vic)

LIB

437

Page (NSW)

NP

100

Brisbane (Qld)

ALP

506

Hindmarsh (SA)

LIB

117

Parkes (NSW)

NP

37

Bruce (Vic)

ALP

55

Hinkler (Qld)

NP

18

Parramatta (NSW)

LIB

112

Burke (Vic)

ALP

80

Holt (Vic)

ALP

43

Paterson (NSW)

LIB

53

Calare (NSW)

IND

53

Hotham (Vic)

ALP

102

Pearce (WA)

LIB

91

Calwell (Vic)

ALP

58

Hughes (NSW)

LIB

55

Perth (WA)

ALP

340

Canberra (ACT)

ALP

187

Hume (NSW)

LIB

94

Petrie (Qld)

LIB

79

Canning (WA)

LIB

59

Hunter (NSW)

LIB

50

Port Adelaide (SA)

ALP

164

Capricornia (Qld)

ALP

27

Indi (Vic)

LIB

67

Prospect (NSW)

ALP

30

Casey (Vic)

LIB

46

Isaacs (Vic)

ALP

78

Rankin (Qld)

ALP

60

Charlton (NSW)

ALP

81

Jagajaga (Vic)

ALP

89

Reid (NSW)

ALP

79

Chifley (NSW)

ALP

96

Kalgoorlie (WA)

LIB

66

Richmond (NSW)

NP

122

Chisholm (Vic)

ALP

114

Kennedy (Qld)

IND

40

Riverina (NSW)

NP

44

Cook (NSW)

LIB

65

Kingsford Smith (NSW)

ALP

254

Robertson (NSW)

LIB

119

Corangamite (Vic)

LIB

72

Kingston (SA)

ALP

81

Ryan (Qld)

LIB

85

Corio (Vic)

ALP

68

Kooyong (Vic)

LIB

176

Scullin (Vic)

ALP

36

Cowan (WA)

ALP

59

La Trobe (Vic)

LIB

90

Shortland (NSW)

ALP

55

Cowper (NSW)

NP

70

Lalor (Vic)

ALP

79

Solomon (NT)

CLP

109

Cunningham (NSW)

GRN

122

Leichhardt (Qld)

LIB

155

Stirling (WA)

ALP

103

Curtin (WA)

LIB

141

Lilley (Qld)

ALP

177

Sturt (SA)

LIB

104

Dawson (Qld)

NP

47

Lindsay (NSW)

LIB

85

Swan (WA)

ALP

154

Deakin (Vic)

LIB

81

Lingiari (NT)

ALP

53

Sydney (NSW)

ALP

2265

Denison (Tas)

ALP

126

Longman (Qld)

LIB

56

Tangney (WA)

LIB

60

Dickson (Qld)

LIB

53

Lowe (NSW)

ALP

226

Throsby (NSW)

ALP

46

Dobell (NSW)

LIB

107

Lyne (NSW)

NP

65

Wakefield (SA)

LIB

49

Dunkley (Vic)

LIB

86

Lyons (Tas)

ALP

33

Wannon (Vic)

LIB

36

Eden-Monaro (NSW)

LIB

111

Macarthur (NSW)

LIB

64

Warringah (NSW)

LIB

129

Fadden (Qld)

LIB

68

Mackellar (NSW)

LIB

86

Watson (NSW)

ALP

132

Fairfax (Qld)

LIB

84

Macquarie (NSW)

LIB

268

Wentworth (NSW)

LIB

528

Farrer (NSW)

LIB

45

Makin (SA)

LIB

51

Werriwa (NSW)

ALP

81

Fisher (Qld)

LIB

62

Mallee (Vic)

NP

20

Wide Bay (Qld)

NP

41

Flinders (Vic)

LIB

66

Maranoa (Qld)

NP

24

Wills (Vic)

ALP

210

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2001 Census of Population and Housing, unpublished data.

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