MEET Mister Maribyrnong. According to 2011 census data released last week, he’s 34, an atheist of English ancestry born in Australia, but both his parents were born overseas.
He is a full-time professional, university or tertiary educated, who drives to work in his family’s only vehicle and earns $577 a week.
He pays $280 in rent for a stand-alone three-bedroom house.
The census data shows Maribyrnong at odds with state averages on a number of fronts, including bucking the Victorian trend by having more males than females. The median age of 34 is below the state average of 37 and reflects the high number of residents aged 25-34.
Fewer residents (41 per cent) are married than the state average (49 per cent) and a higher number have further education qualifications.
Many more residents had both parents born overseas than the state average – 58 per cent compared to 38 per cent.
After English and Australian, Vietnamese, Chinese and Irish were the leading sources of ancestry.
The leading countries of birth were Australia, Vietnam, India, China and England.
Fewer people (52 per cent) drive to work than the state average (61 per cent), more taking the train or cycling.
There is a higher number of families with both parents working full-time (25 per cent) and fewer families where both parents are out of work (16 per cent).
Almost twice the state average live in apartments (22 per cent) and the rental rate of 40 per cent of the renter’s income is well above the state average of 27 per cent.
Census executive director Andrew Henderson said the data would be used to help guide planning for vital services in all communities across Australia.
Data from the 2011 census of population and housing is now available at abs.gov.au/census
