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 the suburb and region you live in and your comparison suburb and
region – 2 marks
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 – 2 marks
Please ensure that you provide your answers in this template, and provide a Reference list and Appendix as requested.
PART I: IDENTIFY THE SUBURB " REGION YOU LIVE IN AND YOUR COMPARISON SUBURB " REGION (2 marks in total; half a mark for each of the four questions below)
1. What is the name of the suburb you live in?
2. What region of Sydney is the suburb you live in located within?
For example: ‘Outer Western Sydney’.
Refer to the ‘Map of Spatial Terms to Identify Regions of Sydney’ in the Assignment 1 folder on vUWS to determine the region.
If you live outside of the greater Sydney region, name the region of NSW your suburb is located within. Ask you tutor for assistance if you are unsure.
3. What is the name of your comparison Suburb?
Your comparison suburb MUST be located in a different region to the region the suburb you live is located within. For example, if you live in Penrith (in Outer Western Sydney), you might choose to compare it to Manly (in Northern Sydney). You cannot choose Mount Druitt, which is another suburb located in Outer Western Sydney.
4. What region of Sydney is your comparison suburb located within?
For example: ‘Outer Western Sydney’.
Refer to the ‘Map of Spatial Terms to Identify Regions of Sydney’ in the Assignment 1 folder on vUWS to determine the region.
Again, your comparison suburb MUST be located in a different region to the region the suburb you live is located within. For example, if you live in Penrith (in Outer Western Sydney), you might choose, to compare it to Manly (in Northern Sydney). You cannot choose Mount Druitt, which is another suburb located in Outer Western Sydney.
PART II: DESCRIPTION OF SOCIO-ECONOMIC DIFFERENCES (250 words – 4 marks in total; 1 mark for each of the four questions below)
5. Describe four (4) of the main socio-economic differences between the suburb you live in and your comparison suburb.
To answer this question, you will need to complete the ‘ABS QuickStat Comparison Tables’ located in the Appendix of this template.
Instructions on how to complete these tables are located before the tables in the Appendix. We will also cover the skills needed to complete these tables in the Week 3 Workshop.
1.
Composition of Household
The ABS QuickStat Comparison table of 2016 played a crucial role in describing four of the main socio-economic differences between Merrylands and Manly suburbs. As shown in Table 11 below, the number of the people in Merrylands with gross household income less than $650 every week is 22.8%. In Manly, this number is 12.4%. However, the persons with more than $3,000 gross weekly income in Merrylands and Manly is 11.3% and 42.8% respectively.
2.
Demographics and Education
Noticeably, the number of the primary education institutions are seen to be higher in Merrylands than in Manly suburb. For example, the primary government, Catholic, as well as other non-governmental education institutions in Merrylands accounts for 15.4%, 8.1%, and 2.5% respectively. On the other hand, the population of these institutions in Manly suburb are 13.3%, 3.2%, and 2.2% respectively.
Also, the number of the secondary catholic and government educational institutions are also higher in Merrylands than in Manly suburbs. Precisely, the Catholic and government secondary schools are 7.9% and 10.4% for Merrylands and 3.8% 4.1% and 3.8% for Manly respectively. However, manly has more (5.4%) technical or further education institutions than Merrylands (1.7%) according to the ABS QuickStat Comparison table of 2016. Moreover, the university or tertiary institutions for Merrylands (4.1%) is less than that of Manly which stands at 5.1%.
3.
Employment
Without a doubt, Manly has a higher number of people (68.1%) who work full time than Merrylands (56.6). Conversely, the number of people working part-time in Manly is less (23.8%) than those in Merrylands (27.8%). Also, in Merrylands, the number of the unemployed and the ones away from work are 10.0% and 5.5% respectively. In Manly, the number of these people are 3.9% and 4.1% respectively.
4.
Language and Cultural Diversity
As shown in Table 3 below, the country of birth of many people in Australia. These people account for about 44% and 51.9% of the population of Merrylands and Manly respectively. In Merrylands, other top responses include Lebanon (7.9%), China (5.0%), Afghanistan (4.3%), India (3.9%), and Pakistan (2.4%). In Manly, other top responses include England (11.7%), New Zealand (3.6%), USA (2.5%), Brazil (1.7%), and South Africa (1.5%).
PART III: EXPLANATION OF REASONS FOR SOCIO-ECONOMIC DIFFERENCES (500 words - 10 marks)
6. Using the assignment 1 AND weekly lecture readings, explain some of the MAIN reasons for the socio-economic differences between the suburb you live in and your comparison suburb which you listed in Part II.
‒ You MUST reference at least 2 of the academic sources (journal articles, book chapters or books) provided in the Assignment 1 reading list (available on vUWS) OR as weekly readings.
‒ You can refer to the lectures in this unit (only for Assignment 1) however, this must be in addition to the two academic sources outlined above.
‒ This section 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)
‒ . Refer to the materials from the Week 5 Workshop for assistance with referencing.
Type your response below this line
Evidently, there are socio-economic differences between Merrylands and Manly suburbs. In terms of the composition of household, Merrylands is seen to be overflowing with decent-sized family homes. The suburb is only 25km from the Central Business District, thus making its homes to be complete with space for hills hoist and trampoline. According to ABS (Household Income 2016), it is observed that Manly has a higher gross income compared to Merrylands. Meaning that there is an existence of a thriving expat community in the suburb. Usually, it is easier to bond with other expats than locals because of the shared experience (Baum, O’Connor " Stimson 2005, p. 3). Also, the differences in the composition of the households between the two suburbs are brought about by the several events for meeting like-minded people. The higher rate of median rent in Manly than in Merrylands is another reason for the better housing in the suburb (Waitt et al. 2000, p. 23). Unlike in Manly where there are a large growing number of apartments, in Merrylands, most of the homes are stand-alone houses.
Regarding the language and cultural diversity, the socio-economic difference is brought about by the diverse community of the two suburbs. For example, Merrylands is seen to have some people born overseas in countries such as China, Lebanon, Afghanistan, and India. In fact, the area is given a friendly community buzz by such people (Withers 2014, p. 231). Because of its main shopping centre, Merrylands also has plenty of supplies for day to day requirements of grocery. Besides, it has several exiting electronics, fashion, beauty and sports shops. As a result, it has cultural and language diversity. In the same way, Manly is also made up of the diverse Australian community. Surprisingly, some of its locals were born overseas in countries such as England, South Africa, New Zealand, Brazil, and the USA (Baum, O’Connor " Stimson 2005, p. 6). Because of the differences in the countries of birth, there is a diversity in the language and culture within the two suburbs.
In terms of the demographics and education, Merrylands appear to have a higher number of people in both Catholic and government primary schools than Manly suburb. One of the main reason may include the fact that Merrylands is located just twenty-five kilometres west of Sydney's CBD. Moreover, it is in the area of the local government of the Cumberland Council (Withers 2014, p. 238). The Catholic and the government secondary schools are also higher in Merrylands than in Manly probably because of its many locals. However, Manly has a higher number of people in the technical, tertiary, or further education institutions than Manly (Izadi 2017, p. 499). One of the contributing factors, for this reason, is the fact that the suburb is blessed with lots of expats. These people find higher education quite beneficial in landing good jobs. Manly suburb also enjoys nature and beaches which make the area attractive to several people.
As already seen in Table 7, there are a more significant number of people employed in Manly than in Merrylands. Specifically, the number of people working full time in Manly is about 68.1%. On the other hand, this number stands at 56.6% in Merrylands. In reality, Manly has several expats and good working condition (Izadi 2017, p. 507). It must also be noted the number of individuals working part-time in Manly and Merrylands is 23.8% and 27.8% respectively. Merrylands also records a higher number of people who are away from work (Waitt et al. 2000, p. 29). The rate of unemployment is also higher in the suburb. Actually, the work-life is well balanced in Manly suburb.
Reference List
‒ Please ensure that your reference list is formatted using Western Sydney University’s Harvard Referencing Style (http://library.westernsydney.edu.au/main/sites/default/files/cite_Harvard.pdf).
‒ Refer to the materials from Week 5’s Workshop for additional advice.
Write your reference list below this line
Baum, S, O’Connor, K " Stimson, R 2005, ‘Suburbs of advantage and disadvantage’, in Fault lines exposed: advantage and disadvantage across Australia’s settlement system, Monash University ePress, Melbourne, pp.03.1–03.47.
Izadi, D. (2017). Semiotic resources and mediational tools in Merrylands, Sydney, Australia: the case of Persian and Afghan shops. Social Semiotics, 27(4), pp.495-512.
Waitt, G, McGuirk, P, Dunn, K, Hartig, K " Burnley, I 2000, Introducing human geography: globalisation,
Withers, G. (2014). Immigration in a Population Context. Australian Economic Review, 47(2), pp.231-239.
Appendix – ABS QuickStat Suburb Comparison Tables, 2016 Census
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 suburb in which you live 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 suburb you live in is located.
Step Two – Enter the ABS QuickStats data for the two suburbs (the one in which you live, and your comparison suburb) 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
ABS QuickStat Suburb Comparison Tables, 2016 Census
Table 1: QuickStats Summary Statistics, 2016 Census (ABS)
Summary Statistics
MERRYLANDS
MANLY
Number (n)
Number (n)
People
29,653
15,866
Male
51.2%
49.7%
Female
48.8%
50.3%
Median age
32
36
Families
7,279
3,965
Average children per family (for families with children)
2
1.7
Average children per family (for families)
1
0.4
Private dwellings
10,108
8,441
Average people per household
3.1
2.2
Median weekly household income
$ 1,267
$ 2,449
Median monthly mortgage repayments
$ 2,000
$ 2,882
Median weekly rent
$ 390
$ 650
Average motor vehicles per dwelling
1.6
1.2
PEOPLE — DEMOGRAPHICS AND EDUCATION
Table 2: Education (i.e. currently studying), 2016 Census (ABS)
Type of Education Institution
Merrylands
Manly
Percentage %
Percentage %
Primary – Government
15.4
13.3
Primary – Catholic
8.1
3.2
Primary - Other non Government
2.5
2.2
Secondary – Government
10.4
3.8
Secondary – Catholic
7.9
4.1
Secondary - Other non Government
1.7
5.2
Technical or further education institution
7.8
5.4
University or tertiary institution
4.1
5.1
PEOPLE — CULTURAL AND LANGUAGE DIVERSITY
Table 3: Country of birth, 2016 Census (ABS)
Merrylands
Manly
Country
Percentage %
Country
Percentage %
Australia
44.0
Australia
51.9
Other Top Responses
Other Top Responses
1
Lebanon
7.9
England
11.7
2
China (excludes SARs " Taiwan)
5.0
New Zealand
3.6
3
Afghanistan
4.3
United States of America
2.5
4
India
3.9
Brazil
1.7
5
Pakistan
2.4
South Africa
1.5
Table 4: Birthplace of parents, stated responses, 2016 Census (ABS)
Birthplace of parents
Merrylands
Manly
Percentage %
Percentage %
Both parents born overseas
72.5
43.7
Father only born overseas
5.7
7.1
Mother only born overseas
3.3
5.9
Both parents born in Australia
12.4
33.8
Table 5: Religious Affiliation, 2016 Census (ABS)
Merrylands
Manly
Religion
Percentage %
Religion
Percentage %
1
Catholic
29.2
No Religion, so described
42.1
2
Islam
24.6
Catholic
20.6
3
No Religion, so described
11.7
Anglican
13.8
4
Not stated
8.4
Not stated
12.3
5
Hinduism
4.6
Presbyterian and Reformed
1.7
Table 6: Language, top responses (other than English), 2016 Census (ABS)
Merrylands
Manly
Language
Percentage %
Language
Percentage %
1
Arabic
22.5
French
2.3
2
Mandarin
5.2
Spanish
2.1
3
Dari
3.3
Portuguese
1.8
4
Cantonese
2.7
German
1.7
5
Turkish
2.7
Italian
1.0
English only spoken at home
29.4
English only spoken at home
74.5
Households where a non-English language is spoken
68.7
Households where a non-English language is spoken
19.4
PEOPLE – EMPLOYMENT
Table 7: Employment status, 2016 Census (ABS)
Employment Status
Merrylands
Manly
Percentage %
Percentage %
Worked full-time
56.6
68.1
Worked part-time
27.8
23.8
Away from work
5.5
4.1
Unemployed
10.0
3.9
Table 8: Employment – hours worked, 2016 Census (ABS)
Hours Worked
Merrylands
Manly
Percentage %
Percentage %
1-15 hours per week
10.3
8.0
16-24 hours per week
10.8
9.0
25-34 hours per week
9.8
7.8
35-39 hours per week
24.2
12.6
40 hours or more per week
38.7
58.3
Table 9: Occupation, 2016 Census (ABS)
Merrylands
Manly
Occupation
Percentage %
Occupation
Percentage %
1
Professionals
16.4
Professionals
39.5
2
Technicians
16.2
Managers
22.0
3
Clerical and Administrative Workers
14.6
Clerical and Administrative Workers
9.8
4
Labourers
11.8
Community and Personal Service Workers
8.2
5
Community and Personal Service Workers
10.2
Sales workers
7.5
6
Sales Workers
9.8
Technicians and Trade Workers
6.9
7
Machinery operators and drivers
9.1
Labourers
2.9
8
Managers
9.0
Machinery Operators and Drivers
1.3
Table 10: Median weekly incomes, 2016 Census (ABS)
Income Category
Merrylands
Manly
Amount ($)
Amount ($)
Personal
486
1,280
Family
1,355
3,277
Household
1,267
2,449
DWELLINGS — HOUSEHOLD COMPOSITION
Table 11: Household income, 2016 Census (ABS)
Household Income
Merrylands
Manly
Percentage %
Percentage %
Less than $650 gross weekly income
22.8
12.4
More than $3,000 gross weekly income
11.3
42.8
DWELLINGS — MORTGAGE " RENT
Table 12: Rent weekly payments, 2016 Census (ABS)
Rent Weekly Payments
Merrylands
Manly
Amount ($)
Amount ($)
Median rent
390
650
Percentage (%)
Percentage (%)
Households where rent payments are less than 30% of household income
77.5
83.3
Households with rent payments greater than or equal to 30% of household income
22.5
16.7
Table 13: Mortgage monthly repayments, 2016 Census (ABS)
Weekly Mortgage Payments
Merrylands
Manly
Amount ($)
Amount ($)
Median mortgage repayments
2,000
2,882
Percentage (%)
Percentage (%)
Households where mortgage repayments are less than 30% of household income
91.3
96.2
Households with mortgage repayments greater than or equal to 30% of household income
8.7
3.8
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 Module 1 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! Send a tweet using #PPSD18 to celebrate with us!
