Notes on Dwelling Characteristics
Four questions relating to private dwellings were asked of the householder in the 1981 Census. Another three questions on the back of the census schedule were completed by the collector. Questions asked of the householder related to characteristics of the dwelling, while the collector completed questions relating to dwelling structure.
For census purposes, dwellings are divided into two main groups: private dwellings (which may be occupied or unoccupied) and non-private dwellings.
A private dwelling is normally a house or flat, but it can also be a tent, houseboat, or caravan if standing on its own block of land. A tent or caravan is not considered to be a private dwelling if it is occupied by members of a household resident in an adjacent dwelling, i.e. the tent or caravan is considered to be part of that adjacent dwelling.
An occupied private dwelling is defined as the premises occupied by a household on census night. For census purposes, a household is a person or group of persons who live together and eat together as a single domestic unit. It is possible, then, for more than one household to live in one house or structure. For example, a lodger who lives with a family and provides all his food for himself is not a member of the family's household but constitutes a separate household, and therefore completes a separate householder's schedule. Because an occupied dwelling is defined in this way, the number of households and number of occupied dwellings is identical and the number of occupied dwellings in an area, as defined for census purposes, may often be greater than the known number of structures.
An unoccupied private dwelling is a structure built specifically for living purposes and capable of being lived in, but unoccupied at the time of the census. Vacant houses, holiday houses, huts, cabins (other than seasonal worker's quarters) and houseboats are therefore counted as unoccupied dwellings; but vacant tents, garages and caravans (if not normally occupied) are not. Only private dwellings can be classified as unoccupied. Unoccupied dwellings include dwellings vacant because they have been newly completed, dwellings vacant for demolition or repair, holiday homes, dwellings to let and dwellings where the household was absent on census night.
The classification 'Reason unoccupied' (RUN) relates only to unoccupied private dwellings, and is based on the observation of the census collector.
Non-private dwellings (NPDs) are hotels, hostels, non-private boarding houses, gaols, religious and charitable institutions, defence establishments and other communal dwellings. Usually, occupants of such dwellings will be using communal facilities such as hotel dining-rooms or mess halls. A caravan in a caravan park (whether permanently or temporarily located) is treated as part of a non-private dwelling, as are self-contained units provided by commercial enterprises such as hotels, motels or guest-houses.
Separate categories for 'campers out' and 'migratory' are included in the NPD classification.
The dwelling characteristics outlined below are discussed in more detail in Census 81 - Dwelling, Household, Family (2150.0).
| Aboriginal dwelling identifier | derived from answers to question 16 | ABD |
If the head of a household or (where present) the spouse stated 'Aboriginal' or 'TSI' origin in answer to question 16, the dwelling was classified respectively as an Aboriginal or TSI dwelling. If neither head nor spouse was of Aboriginal or TSI origin, then the dwelling was classed as 'other'.
| Bedrooms-number of | question H1 BED |
The 1981 Census classification for number of bedrooms includes separate categories for 'no bedrooms" and 'not applicable'. At the 1976 Census, these two items were included in a single category, 'no bedrooms or not applicable'. Thus the decrease in the number of dwellings in the 'no bedroom' category between 1976 and 1981 Census results is largely attributable to a different approach to the classification of bedsitters from that used at the 1976 Census.
| Females in private dwellings | computed during processing | FPD |
| Males in private dwellings | computed during processing | MPD |
| Material of outer walls | collector's question C2 MAT |
The 1981 category 'brick, brick veneer, stone' is a combination of the two 1976 items 'brick, brick veneer' and 'stone'; 1981 'other' is a combination of 1976 'metal' and 'other' categories.
| Mortgage payments - total | question H2 ALM |
For the 1981 Census, a response indicating monthly mortgage payments of less than one dollar was recoded to ALM = $1.
| Motor vehicles - number of | question H4 VEH |
| Nature of occupancy | questions H2 and H3 NOC |
| Non-private dwelling type | NPD |
Non-private dwellings (NPDs) are hotels, hostels, non-private boarding houses, gaols, religious and charitable institutions, defence establishments and other communal dwellings. Usually, occupants of such dwellings will be using communal facilities such as hotel dining-rooms or mess halls. A caravan in a caravan park (whether permanently or temporarily located) is treated as part of a non-private dwelling, as are self-contained units provided by commercial enterprises such as hotels, motels or guest-houses.
Separate categories for 'campers out' and 'migratory' are included in the NPD classification.
Occupants of dwelling - number of
computed during processing IMD
This characteristic relates to both private and non-private dwellings, and is
set to zero for unoccupied private dwellings.
| Rent - amount paid | question H3 RNT |
There is some difficulty with intercensal comparisons of this characteristic because of limited availability of comparable classifications: census classifications for RNT are shown by single dollars up to $148 for the 1981 Census, but only up to $98 in 1976.
In 1976 when a response was given that rent was paid on the dwelling but no money amount was entered, a rent of $1 was shown. However, for 1981 there is a category for RNT = $0 which includes 'not stated'.
| Rooms in private dwellings - number of | question H1 TOT |
| Reason unoccupied | collector's question C3 RUN |
| Structure of dwelling | collector's question C1 STR |