2011 Census papers: mobility

Abstract This paper aims to provide an updated description of the migration patterns of Indigenous Australians over the last intercensal period and to compare these with previous patterns, as well as those from the non-Indigenous population. Indigenous Australians are a highly mobile population. They were substantially more likely to be away from their place of usual residence on the night of the census and more likely to make permanent moves over the five years leading up to the 2011 Census. In addition, Indigenous Australians are more likely to make moves that involve a change in location type. Indigenous mobility appears to have had the effect of causing a structural realignment of the Indigenous population from relatively remote parts of the country to more urban ones. After controlling for a range of other characteristics, Indigenous Australians who changed their area of usual residence were more likely to move to a large regional town (and to a lesser extent a city area or remote town) than to a small regional town, regional rural area, Indigenous town or remote dispersed settlement.