Income Distribution - 29

The most recent information on current income distribution is available from the 1996-97 Survey of Income and Housing Costs. Income refers to gross receipts of recurring cash flows at the time of interview. It comprises cash receipts from wages and salaries, profit or loss from own business, property income in the form of interest, rent and dividends, private transfers such as superannuation and child support, and cash transfers from government in the form of benefits and allowances.

While income is usually received by individuals, analyses of the distribution of income are traditionally based on incomes of families or groups of individuals, which reflects the sharing of income that takes place within families.

The following analysis is based on the income of a restricted family grouping called an income unit, which assumes that income is shared between partners in couple families and between parents and dependent children. Other family members such as non-dependent children are treated as separate income units. Analyses of income distribution using different units, such as families and households, provide different results.