Indicator: Disability/Sickness Payment

Status:

What we know from research

What the data indicates about Mildura
DISABILITY/SICKNESS PAYMENT
This indicator combines sickness allowance and disability support pension payment data and expresses the findings as a rate per 1,000 for each of the study areas. Briefly, sickness allowance is available to Australian residents (or newly arrived migrants after 104 weeks in Australia) who are temporarily incapacitated for work or full-time study. Recipients must have a job or full-time study to which they can return. A disability support pension is available to Australian residents of ten years standing who are aged 16 years or over. The beneficiaries must have a physical, intellectual or psychiatric impairment assessed at 20 points or more and be unable to work for at least the next two years as a result of impairment and be unable to undertake vocational or educational training that would equip them for work within two years.
The indicator provides us with one comparative measure of the health and robustness of the Mildura community and its sub-regions. In 2005 the rates of disability/sickness payments in four of the sub-areas of Mildura fell below that for Regional Victoria, Mildura Central having virtually the equivalent of the regional rate and Wentworth slightly exceeding it. However, all of the areas had rates higher than was the case in Melbourne. 2001 appears to have been an atypical year so far as the (low) metro rate was concerned but thereafter it remained fairly stable while the regional equivalent increased over each of the five years. In each year the rate for Wentworth substantially exceeded that of Melbourne and to a lesser degree since 2003, the rate for Regional Victoria. Ouyen had a strikingly stable low rate for the first four years reviewed.

DISTRIBUTION OF DISABILITY PENSIONS AND SICKNESS ALLOWANCES – RATES PER 1,000
Source: Centrelink Unpublished Data 2005

Legend
	Upward trend			Progress away from desired direction
	Downward trend
	No observable trend		Progress towards desired direction
	Under construction

« Back

Last Updated: Tuesday, 6 February 2007