January 28, 2010
Embargo: 11.30am (CANBERRA TIME)
008/201
Seven in ten adults have insufficient problem-solving skills for everyday life: ABS
Almost seven out of ten Western Australians had insufficient problem-solving skills for the demands of
everyday life, according to analysis released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
For prose, document, numeracy and health, approximately half of Western Australian adults (15-74 years
old) assessed were found to be below the minimum literacy requirement deemed necessary to function
effectively in a complex society.
Literacy was found to be poorest in the older age groups, among those with lower levels of education and
those who were not in the employed labour force. Lower literacy was also associated with lower income
earners.
Individuals with poor literacy were more likely to watch television; less likely to enjoy reading or use a
computer or the internet; and less likely to participate in both formal and informal learning activities.
Levels of adult literacy in Western Australia were generally found to be similar, or slightly above, the national
average.
First home buyers borrowing more
Coinciding with the re-introduction of subsidies for first home buyers during the Global Financial Crisis in
2008, was an initial modest rise in the number of first home buyer loans in Western Australia, according to
analysis released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
This was followed by a more significant percentage increase in the average first home loan size as interest
rates dropped and the economy recovered.
The First Home Owners Boost, which commenced in November 2008, was accompanied by a small initial
increase (6%) in the number of commitments. However, over the following six months, the proportion of
loans to first home buyers in Western Australia grew from just over 30% to a record 43%.
Excluding the effects of non-first home re-financing, the average size of first home buyer loans, in November
2008, exceeded that of other home buyers for the first time since April 1992.
Further information is available in the feature articles in today's release, Western Australia's Statistical
Indicators (cat. no. 1367.5)
FURTHER INFORMATION
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