Australia’s Young Families - by Numbers

Keep it in the Family

The 2006 Australian Census has found that the most common type of family in Australia remains a couple with children. Just over 45 percent of all families, or 2.4 million families, fall into this group - Australian Capital Territory and Victoria have the highest proportion of couples with children.

The most common family type in every state and territory (69 percent, or 1.6 million families) is families with children under 15 years

The Family House - Detached Please

Nine out of ten 2-parent families with young children live in a detached house with an average of 4 bedrooms. Most of these families are paying a mortgage.

The average monthly mortgage repayment for young families in a detached house is $1400 (£591). The lowest repayments for young families are in Tasmania $975 per month (£411) and the highest in New South Wales at $1665 per month (£703).

The highest level of outright home ownership by young families in detached houses is in Victoria (18 percent).

A Car for Dad and a Car for Mum

2 parent families with young children have 2 cars on average.

Internet

83 percent of 2-parent families with young children have some type of Internet connection at home. The lowest rates of connection are in the Northern Territory (66 percent) and the highest in the Australian Capital Territory (90 percent). In all states, broadband is the most common connection type. The highest use of broadband is in the Australian Capital Territory (69 percent of young families).