The geography and demography of Indigenous temporary mobility: an analysis of the 2006 census snapshot

Abstract

Local area population counts and estimates are crucial inputs into policy planning and processes. However, population mobility in general, as well as large numbers of visitors to particular areas, place additional demands on resources and those providing essential services. The literature identifies a pressing need for standardized quantitative measures of the volume, frequency and flows of Indigenous temporary mobility and comparable spatial scales. This paper presents an analysis of census data as it relates to Indigenous temporary mobility, and explores the spatial and demographic complexities involved. While the census remains the only consistent and nationally comprehensive data set on Indigenous temporary mobility that provides important insights, the overall findings from this analysis suggest that it remains a relatively blunt instrument in the task of identifying all the factors in Indigenous temporary movement. We conclude that researchers, policy makers and Indigenous populations must seek and develop additional data sources from which the drivers and dynamics of Indigenous temporary mobility and residency patterns may be identified.

Population movement can sustain STI prevalence in remote Australian indigenous communities

“…This is because the model fixes the proportion of the population that is non-resident such that the number of individuals moving at any time is limited even if the percentage that does move is high. For remote Indigenous communities, if we assume the 10-12% of the population away from home during the census period [7] is representative of the entire year, then our results suggest that STIs can persist if more than 40% of individuals in the population ever travel.…”

“…While census data enabled us to estimate the proportion of the population non-resident at a given time by age and gender (see Table 4 and [7]), we could not determine if all or only a small proportion of the population contributes to temporary mobility. Therefore, we varied this proportion, measured by A p , to determine its potential impact.…”

“…We hypothesise that an additional factor could be the level of population movement between remote areas, which is known to be high. Using census data, Biddle and Prout [7] determined that the short-term movement, which we will refer to as “temporary mobility”, of Indigenous people ranges from less than 2 weeks to as long as 6 months [8,9]. Mobility rates for most communities peak in 17–25 year-olds who are the most sexually active and have the highest diagnosis rates for chlamydia and gonorrhoea.…”

Intercultural capacity deficits: Contested geographies of coexistence in natural resource management

“…Such mobilities strategically connect them to kin and country (Prout, 2008a,b;Biddle and Prout, 2009) and create spatial and social networks that are foundational for Indigenous peoples' capacity to understand and respond to the challenges of social, economic and environmental change. Such mobilities strategically connect them to kin and country (Prout, 2008a,b;Biddle and Prout, 2009) and create spatial and social networks that are foundational for Indigenous peoples' capacity to understand and respond to the challenges of social, economic and environmental change.…”

“…The spatial act of traversing the cadastral grid -the act of being mobile -is one way that many Indigenous Australians continue to negotiate their sense of socio-cultural security and belonging. Such mobilities strategically connect them to kin and country (Prout, 2008a,b;Biddle and Prout, 2009) and create spatial and social networks that are foundational for Indigenous peoples' capacity to understand and respond to the challenges of social, economic and environmental change.…”