Assignment 1 Report – assessment 1
People Places and Social Differences (Western Sydney University)
PEOPLE, PLACE AND SOCIAL DIFFERENCE (102170) ASSIGNMENT 1 TEMPLATE
This assignment is made up of three (3) parts, plus a reference list and appendix. Marks are allocated for each section, as follows:
• Part I: Identify two (2) Sydney suburbs and the regions that they are located – 1 mark
• Part II: Description of socio-economic differences (250 words) – 4 marks
• Part III: Explanation of reasons for socio-economic differences (500 words) – 10 marks
• Reference list: A list of the academic sources cited in Part 3 – 2 marks
• Appendix: ABS QuickStats Suburb Comparison Tables, 2016 Census – 3 marks
Please ensure that you provide your answers in this template, and provide a Reference list and Appendix as requested.
PART I: Choose two Sydney suburbs that are located in different geographical regions of Sydney. For example, Penrith (in Outer Western Sydney) and Manly (in Northern Sydney). (1 mark; 0 marks for any incorrect response)
1. What is the name of the first suburb you have chosen?
2. Use the Map of Sydney Regions to identify the region of Sydney (in the Assignment 1 folder on vUWS) to name the geographic region of Sydney in which this suburb is located
e.g. ‘Outer Western Sydney’
3. What is the name of the second suburb you have chosen?
• Your comparison suburb MUST be located in a different region to the region the first suburb
you have chosen is located in. For example, if the first suburb you have chosen is Penrith (in Outer Western Sydney), you might choose to compare it to Manly (in the Northern Beaches). You cannot choose Mount Druitt, which is another suburb located in Outer Western Sydney.
4. Use the Map of Sydney Regions to identify the region of Sydney (in the Assignment 1 folder on vUWS) to name the geographic region of Sydney in which this suburb is located. e.g. ‘Northern Beaches’
• Again, your comparison suburb MUST be located in a different region to the region the first suburb you have chosen is located in. For example, if the first suburb you have chosen is Penrith (in Outer Western Sydney), you might choose to compare it to Manly (in the Northern Beaches). You cannot choose Mount Druitt, which is another suburb located in Outer Western Sydney.
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PART II: DESCRIPTION OF SOCIO-ECONOMIC DIFFERENCES (250 words – 4 marks in total; 1
mark for each of the four questions below)
1. Locate the ABS QuickStats Comparison Tables at the end of this template (in the Appendix)
2. Fill in the data for the two Sydney suburbs you have chosen
Note: The step-by-step guide to downloading this data and completing these tables is included before the tables in the Appendix. We covered the skills needed to complete these tables in the Week 1 homework activity.
3. Using the ABS data, describe four (4) of the main socio-economic differences between the two Sydney Suburbs you have chosen. To do this you will need to look carefully at the comparison tables you have completed.
1. In 2016, there was a higher percentage of educational attainment in Double Bay SSC in comparison to Blacktown SSC. Table 2 indicates 49.5% of Double Bay SSC had attained a bachelor’s degree or higher whilst 22.3% of Blacktown SSC attained this level of education. It can also be seen in Table 2 that Blacktown SSC had a higher rate of no educational attainment with 1.4% as compared to 0.0% in Double Bay SSC.
2. According to the census in 2016, Australia being the country of birth and English only spoken at home was found to be higher in Double Bay SSC then Blacktown SSC. Table 3 shows 55.9% of Double Bay SSC was born in Australia. This compares to 46.1% in Blacktown SSC. Table 6 includes data that shows 74.6% of Double Bay SSC spoke only English at home as compared to 44.2% in Blacktown SSC.
3. Weekly household income in Double Bay SSC was higher in 2016 compared to Blacktown SSC. Table 10 shows that median weekly household income was $1459 in Blacktown SSC in comparison to $2478 in Double Bay SSC. Table 11 includes data for the number of households with more than $3000 gross weekly income. It is found that 43.8% of Double Bay SSC had more than $3000 gross weekly income in comparison with 12.0% in Blacktown SSC.
4. Unemployment was found to be much higher in Blacktown SSC than Double Bay SSC in 2016. Table 7 shows that unemployment was 8.1% in Blacktown SSC compared with 3.4% in Double Bay SSC.
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PART III: EXPLANATION OF REASONS FOR SOCIO-ECONOMIC DIFFERENCES
(500 words – 10 marks)
Use at least two (2) academic sources (i.e. journal articles, books chapters or books), and the lectures from this unit, to explain some of the main reasons for the socio-economic differences you have identified between your comparison suburbs in Part II.
Note: The academic sources you use MUST come from the weekly readings for Weeks 2-3 OR the Assignment 1 reading list (see below). All of these readings can be downloaded using the links provided in the ’Readings and Resources’ link on vUWS. Your response to Part III MUST be based on ideas from the lectures and academic texts listed above. They MUST NOT be based upon personal opinion.
Please ensure that you provide in-text citations using Western Sydney University’s Harvard Referencing Style (http://library.westernsydney.edu.au/main/sites/default/files/cite_Harvard.pdf). We will cover referencing in the Week 2 Lecture Pod Academic referencing and writing.
Type your response below this line
The socio-economic differences between Blacktown SSC and Double Bay SSC are due to socio-spatial polarisation. Waitt et al. (2000) states that ‘socio-spatial polarisation refers to the divergence over time in the life chances and socio-economic circumstances of low income and middle to high income popularisations. In NSW, higher paying jobs are associated with the financial, producer and corporate sectors which have been condensed into the inner city, eastern suburbs and CBD as opposed to lower paying jobs such as labour and manufacturing which have been concentrated in disadvantaged middle and western suburbs that have lower levels of higher skilled employees, infrastructure and transport access (Randolph, 2014). Rising inequality in employment results in a lack of available job possibilities that are suited for the skills profile of the workforce in certain areas. And although there are more people in central western Sydney that work in manufacturing and trade skills, the number of manufacturing jobs in general has decreased significantly since Australia began to shift towards a service based or globalized economy in the 1980’s (Waitt et al. 2000). Low status suburbs such as central western Sydney who relied on low qualifications and labour jobs were subjected to automation and casualisation of work as the economy become more competitive and manufacturing jobs went overseas as it was cheaper.
It is said that educational opportunity leads to employment opportunity which then generally leads to higher income The 2016 Census reveals that the median weekly household income in Blacktown SSC was $1459 with an increase of nearly $1000 In Double Bay SSC with the median weekly household income of $2478. When compared to peers in more wealthy neighbourhoods, children growing up in these disadvantaged communities have little prospects for upwards social mobility (Redmond & Skatterbol 2018). The quality of education is unequal, with large differences in educational achievement and retention rates among schools, as well as differences in the quality of school facilities and the quality and experiences of instructors (Waitt et al. 2000). This is characterised by low rates of schooling and employment, as well as high percentages of poverty. With less access to tertiary education, it limits the ability to change career oaths and to better circumstances, so a cycle of disadvantage plays out. In the 2016 census, it indicates that 49.5% of Double Bay SSC had received a bachelor’s degree or higher in comparison to 22.3% in Blacktown SSC. There is also a relationship with spatial distribution of employment sectors and spatial distribution of English fluency as the more proficient you are in English, the more job chances you will have. 74.6% of Double Bay SSC spoke only English at home whilst only 44.2% of Blacktown SSC spoke only English at home according to the 2016 census. More ethnically varied areas particularly in Sydney’s Central Western Sydney and Inner Southwestern Sydney, have lower concentrations of persons employed in the financial and scientific sectors as this sort of employment necessitates fluency in English and excellent interpersonal communication skills. In the Eastern Suburbs, there is a higher percentage of workers employed in financial, insurance and scientific jobs due to the fact they are more fluent in English.
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Reference List (2 marks)
Include a reference list using Western Sydney University’s Harvard Referencing Style (https://library.westernsydney.edu.au/main/sites/default/files/cite_Harvard.pdf). This should only contain sources that you have cited in the body of your work.
We will cover referencing skills in the Week 2 Lecture Pod Academic referencing and writing.
Write your reference list below this line
Randolph, B & Tice, A 2014, ‘Suburbanizing Disadvantage in Australian Cities: Sociospatial Change in an Era of Neoliberalism’, Journal of Urban Affairs: Urban Issues in Asia and the Pacific Rim, vol.36, no. 1, pp. 384-99, viewed 15 August 2021, Academic Search Complete Database, DOI: 10.1111/juaf.12108
Redmond, G & Skatterbol, J 2018, ‘Young Australians’ prospects still come to where they grow up’, The Conversation, 17 September, viewed 15 August 2021, https://theconversation.com/young-australians- prospects-still-come-down-to-where-they-grow-up-102640
Waitt, G, McGuirk, P, Dunn, K, Hartig, K & Burnley, I 2000, ’Transforming cities: socio-spatial polarisation’, in Introducing human geography: globalisation, difference and inequality, Pearson, Frenchs Forest, pp. 403-419
Appendix – ABS QuickStat Suburb Comparison Tables, 2016 Census
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(3 Marks)
Part II of Assignment 1 requires you to download and enter ABS QuickStats data into the comparison tables presented in this document. Please see below for step-by-step instructions.
Step-by-Step Instructions for Completing the Comparison Tables
Step One – Download the data you need from the ABS QuickStats website by following these steps:
• Click on the link http://www.abs.gov.au/websitedbs/D3310114.nsf/Home/Census
• If the link does not work, copy and paste the link into your web browser.
• The link will take you to the ABS Census home page.
• Find the ‘QuickStats Search’ box listed under ‘Data by Geographies’.
• Type the name of the first suburb you have chosen in the search box under ‘Search QuickStats’.
• You will need to choose a statistical level from a list of options. These options will be automatically generated once you enter the suburb name. Please select ‘State Suburb (SSC)’. For example, if your suburb is Blacktown, the correct option to choose is: ‘Blacktown, NSW State Suburb (SSC)’,
• Make sure 2016 census data is selected (the last Australian census was conducted in 2016, and the next will take place in 2021) and click on ‘go’.
• QuickStats data for your suburb will then be generated.
• Repeat the process for your comparison suburb. Remember that the comparison suburb is to be selected from a Sydney region that is different to the region in which the first suburb you have chosen is located.
Step Two – Enter the ABS QuickStats data for the two suburbs you have chosen into the tables below, noting:
• You will need to manually enter the data in the tables.
• Please note that you WON’T need to enter all the data generated by the ABS website, only the data for the tables below.
Step Three – Use the Comparison Tables to complete Part III of the assignment
Step Four – Include these completed tables as an Appendix to your completed Assignment
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ABS QuickStat Suburb Comparison Tables, 2016 Census
Table 1: QuickStats Summary Statistics, 2016 Census (ABS)
Summary Statistics Blacktown Double Bay
Number (n) Number (n)
People 47 176 4 642
Male 23 761 2 036
Female 23 411 2 608
Median age 33 39
Families 12 361 1 126
Average children per family (for families with children) 1.8 1.6
Average children per family (for families) 0.9 0.4
Private dwellings 16 444 2 516
Average people per household 3 2.1
Median weekly household income $1 459 $2 478
Median monthly mortgage repayments $1 900 $3 000
Median weekly rent $380 $680
Average motor vehicles per dwelling 1.6 1.2
PEOPLE — DEMOGRAPHICS AND EDUCATION
Table 2: Level of highest educational attainment, 2016 Census (ABS)
Type of Education Institution Blacktown Double Bay
Percentage % Percentage %
Bachelor Degree level and above 22.3% 49.5%
Advanced Diploma and Diploma 9.1% 8.5%
Certificate level IV 2.6% 0.9%
Certificate level III 10.3% 3.1%
Year 12 18.3% 14.8%
Year 11 3.7% 1.8%
Year 10 11.5% 3.7%
Certificate level II 0.1% 0.0%
Certificate level I 0.0% 0.0%
Year 9 or below 9.0% 2.3%
No educational attainment 1.4% 0.0%
Not stated 8.8% 12.4%
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PEOPLE — CULTURAL AND LANGUAGE DIVERSITY
Table 3: Country of birth, 2016 Census (ABS)
Blacktown Double Bay
Country Percentage % Country Percentage %
Australia 46.1% Australia 55.9%
Other Top Responses Other Top Responses
1 India 13.3% England 5.8%
2 Philippines 5.4% New Zealand 3.6%
3 China (excludes SARS & Taiwan) 2.5% South Africa 3.3%
4 New Zealand 2.2% United States of America 1.8%
5 Fiji 2.0% China (excludes SARS & Taiwan) 1.7%
Table 4: Birthplace of parents, stated responses, 2016 Census (ABS)
Birthplace of parents Blacktown Double Bay
Percentage % Percentage %
Both parents born overseas 64.0% 41.7%
Father only born overseas 4.4% 8.3%
Mother only born overseas 3.0% 5.5%
Both parents born in Australia 22.8% 34.5%
Table 5: Religious Affiliation, 2016 Census (ABS)
Blacktown Double Bay
Religion Percentage % Religion Percentage %
1 Catholic 25.3% No Religion, so described 29.5%
2 No Religion, so described 14.1% Catholic 20.3%
3 Hinduism 12.3% Anglican 14.7%
4 Anglican 8.6% Not stated 13.6%
5 Not stated 7.6% Judaism 11.2%
Table 6: Language, top responses (other than English), 2016 Census (ABS)
Blacktown Double Bay
Language Percentage % Language Percentage %
1 Punjabi 6.9% Mandarin 1.9%
2 Hindi 5.0% French 1.6%
3 Arabic 4.0% Spanish 1.4%
4 Tagalog 3.2% Cantonese 1.4%
5 Gujaratti 2.4% Italian 1.1%
English only spoken at home 44.2% English only spoken at home 74.6%
Households where a non- English language is spoken 53.6% Households where a non- English language is spoken 18.7%
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PEOPLE – EMPLOYMENT
Table 7: Employment status, 2016 Census (ABS)
Employment Status Blacktown Double Bay
Percentage % Percentage %
Worked full-time 61.1% 67.7%
Worked part-time 25.6% 25.3%
Away from work 5.1% 3.7%
Unemployed 8.1% 3.4%
Table 8: Employment – hours worked, 2016 Census (ABS)
Hours Worked Blacktown Double Bay
Percentage % Percentage %
1-15 hours per week 8.4% 8.7%
16-24 hours per week 9.9% 9.2%
25-34 hours per week 9.6% 8.2%
35-39 hours per week 27.8% 10.5%
40 hours or more per week 38.8% 59.5%
Table 9: Occupation, 2016 Census (ABS)
Blacktown Double Bay
Occupation Percentage % Occupation Percentage %
1 Professionals 16.7% Professionals 44.5%
2 Clerical and Administrative Workers 15.3% Managers 22.6%
3 Technician and Trades Workers 13.4% Clerical and Administrative Workers 11.2%
4 Machinery Operators and Drivers 12.6% Sales Workers 8.5%
5 Labourers 12.2% Community and Personal Service Workers 5.6%
6 Community and Personal Service Workers 10.6% Technician and Trades Workers 3.9%
7 Sales Workers 9.0% Labourers 1.3%
8 Managers 8.0% Machinery Operators and Drivers 0.9%
Table 10: Median weekly incomes, 2016 Census (ABS)
Income Category Blacktown Double Bay
Amount ($) Amount ($)
Personal $615 $1 427
Family $1565 $3 421
Household $1459 $2 478
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DWELLINGS — HOUSEHOLD COMPOSITION
Table 11: Household income, 2016 Census (ABS)
Household Income Blacktown Double Bay]
Percentage % Percentage %
Less than $650 gross weekly income 17.9% 11.6%
More than $3,000 gross weekly income 12.0% 43.8%
DWELLINGS — MORTGAGE & RENT
Table 12: Rent weekly payments, 2016 Census (ABS)
Rent Weekly Payments Blacktown Double Bay
Amount ($) Amount ($)
Median rent $380 $680
Percentage (%) Percentage (%)
Households where rent payments are less than 30% of household income 84.3% 85.0%
Households with rent payments greater than or equal to 30% of household income 15.7% 15.0%
Table 13: Mortgage monthly repayments, 2016 Census (ABS)
Monthly Mortgage Payments Blacktown Double Bay
Amount ($) Amount ($)
Median mortgage repayments $1 900 $3 000
Percentage (%) Percentage (%)
Households where mortgage repayments are less than 30% of household income 91.6% 94.9%
Households with mortgage repayments greater than or equal to 30% of household income 8.4% 5.1%
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Assignment 1 Completion Checklist
When you think that you have completed Assignment 1, use this checklist to ensure that you have included all of the key components of this assessment.
Completion Checklist
□ Did you read the Assignment 1 Marking Criteria to ensure you know what you need to do in each part of obtain a maximum grade?
□ Part I – Did you provide answers for all four (4) questions?
□ Part II – Did you provide a comprehensive description of four (4) of the main socio-economic differences between your comparison suburbs?
□ Part III – Did you demonstrate a comprehensive knowledge of the reasons for the socio-economic differences between your comparison suburbs using academic literature (books, journal articles and books) and the lectures from Module 1?
□ Part III – Did you use at least two (2) journal articles, book chapters or books from the list of suggested readings for Assignment 1 AND/OR Week 2 & 3 readings?
□ Part III – Are your in-text citations correctly formatted using Western Sydney University’s Harvard Referencing Guidelines?
□ References – Have you included a reference list correctly formatted using Western Sydney University’s Harvard Style Referencing Guidelines?
□ Appendix – Have you included your ABS QuickStat Comparison Tables as an appendix item?
□ Turnitin – Have you submitted your assignment to Turnitin and carefully checked the familiarity report to ensure that you have correctly paraphrased information from secondary sources in your own words?
If you have successfully completed all of these steps, CONGRATULATIONS on completing the first assignment for People, Place and Social Difference!
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