Annual Household
Survey
2015 Summary of findings
August 2015
Research Services
City of Whittlesea – 2015 Household Survey
 City of Whittlesea, 2015
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DISCLAIMER
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publication is made in good faith but on the basis that the City of Whittlesea, its
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representation, statement, or advice referred to above.
Page 2 of 18
City of Whittlesea – 2015 Household Survey
Table of contents
2015 SUMMARY OF FINDINGS ......................................................................................................... 1
TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................................................ 3
INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................................... 4
Methodology ................................................................................................................................... 4
Metropolis Research ....................................................................................................................... 4
KEY FINDINGS ...................................................................................................................................... 5
Demographic profile ....................................................................................................................... 5
Health and recreation ..................................................................................................................... 7
Employment .................................................................................................................................... 7
Education ........................................................................................................................................ 9
Transport ........................................................................................................................................ 9
Housing ......................................................................................................................................... 10
Communication and consultation ................................................................................................. 12
Community .................................................................................................................................... 13
Environment .................................................................................................................................. 17
Issues for Council to address ........................................................................................................ 17
Performance of Council ................................................................................................................ 18
Importance of and satisfaction with Council services and facilities ............................................. 18
Page 3 of 18
City of Whittlesea – 2015 Household Survey
Introduction
The Research Unit of the City of Whittlesea Council commissioned Metropolis
Research to conduct this, the eighteenth annual Household Survey, the first being
completed in 1997.
The survey provides an accurate snapshot of the population of the City of
Whittlesea; its characteristics, behaviours and requirements of Council. The
Household Survey also provides a timely update to the Census of Population and
Housing and functions as Council’s major source of current community data.
This report has been prepared to provide a summary of the main findings of the
Household Survey results. Readers are encouraged to read the municipal report for
more detailed information or to contact the Research Unit, City of Whittlesea
Council directly for more information on the Household Survey or to discuss the
application of the data presented to specific situations.
Methodology
The City of Whittlesea – 2015 Household Survey was designed in the style of the
Australian Bureau of Statistics’ Census of Population and Housing, with some
changes in emphasis and the inclusion of Council specific questions, with other
questions similar to the ABS General Social Survey.
The 2015 Household Survey is a self-assessment survey distributed primarily via a
drop-off and pick-up methodology. A mail-out and reply paid methodology was
employed for households located within the Rural North precinct of the City of
Whittlesea, due to occupational health and safety and efficiency reasons.
The survey was distributed to a random, precinct-stratified sample of 2,013
households across the City of Whittlesea. A total of one thousand households,
comprising 2,878 individual residents of the City of Whittlesea were included in the
results. Responses were obtained from every individual in the household for forty
questions, including children where appropriate, as well as responses from the
household as a whole for twenty-nine questions.
Metropolis Research
The Research Unit of the City of Whittlesea Council commissioned Metropolis
Research to conduct the City of Whittlesea – 2015 Household Survey. Metropolis
Research worked collaboratively with the Research Unit to review the survey design
from that used in recent years to ensure the survey was relevant to the current
information needs of Council. Metropolis Research was responsible for the
implementation of the survey in the field, the data entry, cleaning and coding, data
analysis and preparation of the main report, this summary of findings and two issues
papers.
Page 4 of 18
City of Whittlesea – 2015 Household Survey
Key findings
This section of the report provides a summary of the findings from each section of
the main report. This summary is designed to provide a basic overview of the results
of each section of the survey and to identify important or noteworthy results.
It is important to bear in mind that the City of Whittlesea – 2015 Household Survey is
a very comprehensive and wide-ranging resource comprising data relating to sixtynine separate questions. The main report provides a more comprehensive
examination of these results including time-series analysis of municipal results,
results for each of the twelve precincts comprising the City of Whittlesea, as well as
an examination of variation in results for example by age, gender, language and
household structure. Readers are strongly advised to refer to the main report when
seeking additional information not provided in this summary.
Demographic profile
 The age structure of respondents
o
The median age was 39 years, up slightly on the 2014 survey median
of 36 and higher than the 34 years from the 2011 Census.
 Respondents’ gender
o
Respondents were comprised of 49.8% male, 50.0% female and
0.2% other respondents.
 Household structure and size
o
A little more than half of the respondents were in family households
(46.6% two-parent, 5.9% one-parent and 6.0% other families).
o
A little more than one-quarter (27.2%) were in couple-only
households, 0.8% group households and 13.4% lived alone.
o
The average household size in 2015 was 2.87; slightly lower than the
2011 Census result of 3.0, and lower than the 2.92 from 2014.
 Country of birth
o
Approximately two-thirds of respondents (64.1%) were born in
Australia, 3.9% in a mainly English speaking country and 29.4% in a
mainly non-English speaking country (similar to the 2014 results).
o
The top five other countries of birth were India (4.8%), Italy (3.4%),
Macedonia (2.6%), Greece (2.2%) and Lebanon (1.3%).
o
Almost three-quarters (72.9% up from 63.8%) of overseas born
respondents had lived in Australia for ten years or more, and 2.7%
less than one year (down from 3.0%).
Page 5 of 18
City of Whittlesea – 2015 Household Survey
o
1.2% of respondents identified as Aboriginal (0.8%) or Torres Strait
Islander (0.4%).
 Languages
o
Two-thirds of respondents (68.5% up from 66.5%) preferred to
speak English at home and one-third (31.5%) preferred another
language.
o
The top five languages other than English respondents prefer to
speak or read were Greek, Italian, Macedonian, Arabic, and Punjabi.
 Personal income
o
The median personal weekly income in 2015 was $581 per week or
$30,212 per annum.
o
This is a 17.3% increase on the 2014 median of $495 per week and a
34.8% increase on the 2007 median of $431 per week.
o
One-quarter of respondents (25.1%) had an income of less than
$250 per week and one-quarter (25.5%) had an income of $1,000 or
more per week.
o
The median income of those employed full time or self-employed
was $1,067 per week, or $55,484 per annum, up 7.4% on 2014.

Males employed full-time or self-employed earned a median
income that was 24.5% higher than that of females.

English speaking respondents employed full-time or selfemployed earned a median income that was 20.2% higher
that of non-English speaking respondents.
 Disability
o
Page 6 of 18
A little more than one-sixth of respondents (17.9% up from 13.6%)
reported that they had a permanent or long-term disability.

More than one-third (41.7%) of older adults (61 to 75 years)
and more than half (57.8%) of senior citizens (76 years or
older) reported having a permanent or long-term disability.

There was no variation between males and females or
between English and non-English speaking respondents.
o
The most common disabilities were physical (8.3%), mental health
(5.0%) and hearing impairment (3.0%).
o
A little less than one-third of the respondents with a disability
require assistance with the disability (18.1% emotional support,
10.5% self care activities and 10.1% financial support).
City of Whittlesea – 2015 Household Survey
Health and recreation
 General health
o
The overwhelming majority of respondents (87.5% down from
88.5%) rated their general health as “good” or better, with just
10.5% rating their general health as “fair” and 1.9% as “poor”.
o
There was a clear relationship between respondent age and
perception of general health, with older respondents more likely to
rate their health as “fair” or “poor” than younger respondents.
 Moderate to vigorous physical activity
o
A little more than one-third of respondents (35.5% down from
38.0%) reported that they spend less than one hour in the last week
doing moderate to vigorous physical activity, 41.9% spent between
one and five hours and one-fifth (22.6%) spent more than five hours.
o
There was relatively little variation in this result for respondents of
most ages, although young children, older adults and senior citizens
were considerably less likely to have spent any time doing moderate
to vigorous physical activity.
o
There was no meaningful variation based on respondent gender,
however English speaking respondents were more likely than nonEnglish speaking respondents to undertake some activity.
 Recreation activities
o
Four-fifths (81.0%) of respondents aged five years and over
identified at least one recreational activity in which they participate.

The top six activities were walking (54.4%), gardening
(21.0%), gym / fitness group (17.2%), swimming (11.5%),
cycling / bike riding (9.7%) and running (9.2%).
Employment
 Employment status
o
A little more than two-thirds (68.6%) of the respondents aged 15
years and over were participating in the labour force.

One-third (37.4%) were employed full-time, 17.8% part-time
or casual, 6.4% self-employed and 2.2% employed/studying.

4.8% were unemployed, down from 6.9% in 2014 and 5.3%
in 2013.
Page 7 of 18
City of Whittlesea – 2015 Household Survey
o
A little less than one-third of respondents aged 15 years and over
did not participate in the labour force.

Almost one-sixth of respondents were retired (14.9%), 5.2%
studying and 6.1% home duties.
 Occupations
o
Almost one-quarter (22.1%) of employed respondents were
employed as professionals, continuing a long-term trend towards
professional employment. In 1997 just 7.0% were employed as
professionals.
o
Almost one-fifth (19.5%) were employed in clerical / admin, and
6.4% in sales.
o
Almost one-sixth (15.4%) were employed as community / personal
service workers.
o
Almost one-sixth (13.3%) of employed respondents were employed
as technicians / trades, a result that has remained relatively stable.
o
The proportion employed as labourers decreased somewhat in
2015, down from 12.8% in 2014 to 8.9%, continuing a long-term
declining trend. The proportion employed as machinery operators /
drivers (10.0%) increased marginally.
 Industry of employment
o
The top four industries of employment were healthcare and social
assistance (17.3%), transport, postal and warehousing (10.3%), retail
trade (10.2%), and manufacturing (9.6%).
 Employment location
o
A little more than one-quarter (26.8%) of employed respondents
were employed in a suburb within the City of Whittlesea, 13.7% in
the North eastern and 14.7% in the North western region.
o
Approximately one-fifth (20.2%) of employed respondents were
employed in the inner Melbourne region.
o
11.4% of employed respondents were employed in various rather
than a fixed location, reversing the unusual decline in 2014 (1.3%).
o
2.3% of employed respondents worked from home as a home-based
business, with a little more than one-sixth either sometimes (16.6%)
or often/always (2.2%) working from home.
 Satisfaction with working hours
o
Page 8 of 18
Almost three-quarters (74.9%) of employed respondents were
satisfied with the number of hours they worked, with 5.3%
dissatisfied because they work too many hours and 5.9% because
they work too few hours. 3.8% were dissatisfied because skills and
experience doesn’t match the job, 5.8% were dissatisfied because
the commute time was too long, and 3.4% were dissatisfied with a
lack of local jobs.
City of Whittlesea – 2015 Household Survey
Education
 Attending educational institution
o
A little more than one-quarter (28.7%) of respondents attends an
educational institution. This is comprised of the following:

Kindergarten (6.4%), Primary school (24.1%), Secondary
school (25.2%), TAFE or similar (12.3%), University (25.4%).
 Qualifications
o
The proportion of respondents aged 15 years and over with some
form of post-secondary school qualification has remained stable in
2015 at 70.8%, after increasing steadily from 42.5% in 1997 to 70.3%
in 2013.

Certificate / Diploma (41.8% up from 34.3% in 1997)

Bachelor or Higher degree (25.8% up from 8.2% in 1997)
Transport
 Journey to work or study
o
Four-fifths of employed respondents (81.6%) drive to work, 12.2%
travel by train and 4.7% travel by car as a passenger.
o
The majority of student respondents either drive (40.5%) or travel
by car as a passenger (13.1%) to study, 10.4% travel by train and
10.2% travel to study by bus.
 Average daily two-way commute time
o
A little less than one-fifth (18.2%) of employed respondents take
less than fifteen minutes for the two-way commute to work.
o
Half (50.4%) take between 31 and 60 minutes, 16.4% take 61 to 90
minutes and 15.0% take more than 90 minutes.
 Forms of transport used in the last three months for non-work / study trips
o
A little more than half identified car as driver (58.6% up from
55.1%), and one-third (36.7% down from 45.9%) identified car as
passenger.
o
A little less than one-quarter (22.7% down from 27.5%) identified
train, almost one-fifth (19.6% down from 27.9%) identified walking
and a little more than ten percent (11.0% down from 14.4%)
identified bus.
Page 9 of 18
City of Whittlesea – 2015 Household Survey
 Frequency and purpose of public transport use for non-work / study related trips
o
Almost one-fifth of respondents (19.9%) use public transport at least
weekly, with almost one-sixth (13.8%) using public transport either
fortnightly or monthly).
o
A little less than half (42.8%) of respondents drive to the public
transport station / stop, a little more than one-quarter (27.0%) are
dropped off by car, and 27.5% walk to the station / stop.
o
A little less than half of the respondents (41.8%) travel to
entertainment venues by public transport, 36.4% travel to sporting
events, 34.7% travel to shopping, 17.4% travel to relatives / friends,
and 12.2% travel to cultural events by public transport.
 Factors that would encourage additional public transport use
o
A little less than one-third of respondents identified car parking at
stations (29.7%) and lower cost (29.0%).
o
Approximately one-quarter of respondents identified more frequent
services (27.4%) and more / better security (22.5%).
o
Approximately one-fifth of respondents identified better timetables
(19.9%) and less overcrowding (19.4%).
o
Approximately one-sixth (17.7%) of respondents identified more
stops near home.
Housing
 Dwelling type
o
The overwhelming majority of dwellings were separate detached
houses (92.0% up from 86.6%), although this varies across the
municipality.
 Housing situation
o
The proportion of respondent households owning their home
outright increased somewhat in 2015 from 39.7% to 43.3%, with
40.7% purchasing their home and 14.9% renting (down from 19.7%).
 Housing payments
Page 10 of 18
o
The median weekly mortgage was $417 in 2015, down 7.4% on the
2014 median of $450 per week.
o
The median weekly rental payment was $337 in 2015, a decline of
less than one percent on the 2014 median of $340 per week.
o
The median weekly housing cost (mortgage and rental) varied from
$333 per week in Lalor to $452 per week in Doreen.
City of Whittlesea – 2015 Household Survey
 Housing related financial stress
o One-quarter of rental and mortgagee household respondents report
their housing costs place no stress on the household’s finances.
o One-quarter (25.5%) reported low stress, 31.6% moderate stress and
17.3% heavy housing related financial stress.
 Period residence
o
Approximately one-third (33.5% down from 40.8%) of respondents
had lived at the current address for less than five years and 45.3%
for ten years or more.
 Previous location of residence
o
Almost half (48.8%) of the respondents living at their current
address less than five years previously lived within the City of
Whittlesea, the third consecutive decline in this result since the
55.0% recorded in 2012.
o
A little more than one-fifth (21.3%) had previously lived in the
northeastern region of Melbourne.
o
10.6% had previously lived interstate or internationally.
 Potential emigration
o
In 2015, 3.5% (down from 14.5%) of respondents reported that they
would definitely be moving from the current address within 12
months, and 7.7% (down from 8.1%) reported that they may
possibly be moving.
 Potential future suburb of residence
o
A little more than half (57.7% up from 56.2% in 2014) of
respondents potentially moving are most likely to remain within the
City of Whittlesea, with a further 12.9% moving within the north
eastern region of Melbourne.
o
A little less than ten percent (8.2%) were potentially moving
interstate or overseas.
o
Approximately five percent (5.2%) were potentially moving to inner
Melbourne.
Page 11 of 18
City of Whittlesea – 2015 Household Survey
Communication and consultation
 Preferred methods of communicating with Council when they have a matter to
deal with.
o
Two-thirds of respondents (66.9% up from 57.9%) identified
telephone and approximately one-third identified email (34.2%
down from 37.0%), and in person at Council office (32.5% up from
29.0%), and more than one-fifth (21.2% down from 27.7%) identified
traditional mail.
o
The proportion of respondents identifying social media increased,
with Facebook increasing from 3.3% to 6.2%, and Twitter increasing
from 0.4% to 1.1%.
 Publications received and read
o
Whittlescene – A little less than half of the respondent households
received the publication (43.8% up from 43.2%), and almost all
these respondent households read the publication (38.9% down
from 39.7%).
o
Whittlesea Leader – More than half of the respondent households
received the publication (57.5% down from 61.2%), and a similar
proportion of respondent households read the publication (57.6%
up from 57.2%).
o
City of Whittlesea Community Calendar – A little more than onethird of respondent households received the publication (37.2% up
from 34.8%), and almost all of these respondent households read
the publication (31.9% up from 28.8%).
o
Northern Star Weekly – A little less than one-quarter of respondent
households receive the publication (22.4% up from 20.7%), and
three-quarters of these respondent households read the publication
(16.4% down from 17.3%).
o
It is noted that less than ten percent of respondents either received
or read any of the four other publications listed on the survey form
(North Central Review, Whittlesea Town Crier, Community Kalori,
and newspapers / magazines in a language other than English).
 Preferred sources of information about neighbourhood services and issues
Page 12 of 18
o
More than four-fifths (86.3%) of respondent households identified
at least one method by which they prefer to find out information.
o
The five most preferred methods were:

Articles in Whittlescene (58.0% up from 50.3%).

Local newspaper articles (45.4% down from 47.3%).

Direct mail / letters / brochures (38.0%).

Dedicated column in Whittlesea Leader (32.2% up from
26.8%).
City of Whittlesea – 2015 Household Survey

o
Sent with rates notice (31.4% up from 22.5%).
The proportion of respondents identifying Facebook increased
(12.5% up from 9.9%) and Twitter declined marginally (1.2% down
from 1.6%).
Community
 Agreement with selected sense of community statements
o
Solid agreement – with each of “I / we have adequate time to spend
with friends / family”, “people in my neighbourhood are accepting
of people from other cultural / religious backgrounds”, “I / we could
turn to the neighbours for help”, “I / we often stop and chat with
someone from my local community”, “the community has a distinct
character, it is a special place”.
o
Mild agreement – with each of “most people in my local community
can be trusted”, “my / our neighbourhood has a strong sense of
community”, “it is easy to find out about activities and events
available locally”, “it is easy to find out what services are available
for residents”, “I / we feel part of the local community”.
o
Mild disagreement – with each of “people in my community get
involved in local issues”, “there are opportunities to have a real say
on issues that are important to us”, and “I / we participate in
community activities and events”.
In general terms, respondent households from Whittlesea Township, Mernda,
Doreen, and the Rural North tended to rate agreement with these sense of
community statements higher than average, whilst respondent households from
Epping, Blossom Park, and Bundoora rated agreement as somewhat lower than
average.
 Participation in community groups
o
A little less than half of the respondents (49.5% down from 57.7%)
reported participating in at least one of the fourteen listed types of
groups.
o
The community groups with the highest levels of participation were
church / religious groups (14.1%), sports clubs (13.8%), and “gym
and exercise” (11.9%).
 Volunteering
o
Ten percent of respondents (9.9%) aged fifteen years and over
reported volunteering locally.
o
Less than five percent (3.5%) aged fifteen years and over reported
volunteering non-locally.
Page 13 of 18
City of Whittlesea – 2015 Household Survey
 Carers
o
Approximately ten percent of respondents aged 15 years and over
(11.1% down from 13.2%) were involved in an on-going carer role
for someone to allow that person to stay in their home.

Non-English speaking respondents (20.2%)
were
considerably more likely than English speaking (10.4%)
respondents to be a carer.
 Perception of safety in the public areas of the City of Whittlesea
o
o
The perception of safety in public areas of the City of Whittlesea
questions were changed substantially in 2015, and are now asked as
a person question.

A little more than two-thirds of respondents (69.6%)
reported feeling somewhat or very safe in the public areas
of the City of Whittlesea during the day.

8.2% of respondents felt somewhat or very unsafe in the
public areas of the City of Whittlesea during the day.

A little less than one-third of respondents (30.9%) reported
feeling somewhat or very safe in the public areas of the City
of Whittlesea at night.

41.4% of respondents reported feeling somewhat or very
unsafe in the public areas of the City of Whittlesea at night.
Locations in which respondents feel unsafe

Approximately one-third of respondents felt unsafe around
walking / cycling paths (39.8%), at train stations (36.5%),
and in local parks (35.8%).
 Gambling
o
Almost one-quarter of adult respondents identified at least one
form of gambling in which they have participated within the last
twelve months:







o
Page 14 of 18
Pokies at local venues
TAB
Pokies at non-local venues
Casino
Sports betting online
On-track betting
Other forms of gambling
(9.4%)
(7.5%)
(5.6%)
(5.6%)
(3.7%)
(1.4%)
(4.8%)
Respondent households were asked to rate their agreement with
five statements relating to gambling, on a scale of 0 – 10 (0 –
strongly disagree to 10 – strongly agree. The results can best be
summarised as follows:
City of Whittlesea – 2015 Household Survey

Very Strong agreement - that gambling negatively affects
people’s health (8.39) and that increasing access to
gambling opportunities can significantly increase the
number of problem gamblers (8.36), with approximately
three-quarters strongly agreeing with each statement and
less than ten percent disagreeing.

Strong agreement – that gambling is a serious problem in
the community (7.67), with almost two-thirds (61.5%)
strongly agreeing and just 6.8% disagreeing.

Mild agreement – that people in the local community
gamble at clubs or hotels because there are few leisure
activities available (5.84), with one-third (35.8%) strongly
agreeing and almost one-quarter (23.3%) disagreeing.

Mild disagreement – that people in the community should
have access to recreational gambling opportunities (3.81),
with almost one-sixth (15.3%) strongly agreeing and almost
half (48.7%) disagreeing.
 Access to health and community services
o
A little more than half (54.0%) of the respondent households had
accessed a bulk billing doctor in the last twelve months, and 35.4% had
accessed a dentist.
o
Less than ten percent of respondent households had accessed childcare,
counselling, education, mental health service, employment / retraining,
emergency relief, utility relief grants, residential aged care, respite
services, interpreter services, settlement programs.
o
A total of just 57 respondent households (5.7%) had been unable to
access at least one of the listed health and community services they
required.
 Access to advice or assistance regarding health and community services
o
A little less than half (44.7%) of respondent households identified at
least one topic with which they needed advice or assistance in the last
twelve months, with medical (33.9%), taxation (19.8%), and social
security (8.5%) the most common.
o
Just 2.2% of respondent households identified at least one topic with
which they required assistance or advice that they were unable to
obtain.
 Libraries
o
A little more than one-quarter (28.5%) of respondent households visit a
library at least once a month, one-third (36.7%) rarely visit, and onethird (34.8%) never visit.
o
The most common reason for visiting a library is to borrow books or
other library resources (72.9%), with accessing internet or computers
Page 15 of 18
City of Whittlesea – 2015 Household Survey
(18.7%), for children’s programs (17.1%), to spend time relaxing (13.5%),
and to seek information about local services and community (10.6%)
also common reasons.
 Local open spaces
o
Almost half (47.4%) of the respondent households visit walking / cycling
paths at least weekly, and a little less than one-third (30.3%) rarely or
never visit walking / cycling paths.
o
A little less than one-quarter of respondent households visit playgrounds
(22.0%) or sporting reserves (24.1%) at least weekly, with a little more
than half rarely or never visiting these facilities.
o
Approximately one-sixth (16.4%) of respondent households visited
informal open grassed areas at least weekly, with approximately twothirds (63.4%) rarely or never visiting these areas.
o
Three-quarters or more of respondent households rarely or never visit
each of picnic facilities (75.0%), dog-off leash areas (81.7%), or skate
facilities (94.8%).
o
Reasons for visiting local open spaces
o

The most common reasons for visiting local open spaces
identified by respondent households were to walk in or around
(47.8%), and to sit, relax and enjoy the outdoors (42.3%)

A little less than one-third of respondent households identified
to socialise with family / friends (29.4%), and to walk / exercise
the dog (29.3%).

Approximately one-quarter of respondent households identified
to play on playground equipment (25.6%), to exercise / work out
(24.8%), to have a BBQ or picnic (24.6%), to walk / cycle /
scooting to destinations (23.7%), and to play (21.7%).

Approximately one-sixth of respondent households identified to
play / watch organised sport (17.5%), and to attend community
events (14.1%).
The most common barrier to visiting Council facilities and open spaces
was a lack of time, identified by approximately one-fifth of respondent
households, with 12.9% identifying personal safety concerns as a barrier
to visiting local open spaces.
 Food security
o
Page 16 of 18
In 2015, a total of 6.2% of respondent households reported having
run out of food and been unable to afford to buy more at least once
in the last twelve months, a decline on the 8.9% reported in 2014.
City of Whittlesea – 2015 Household Survey
Environment
 There was substantial variation in the proportion of respondent households
currently engaging in the various environmental actions, the results being best
summarised as follows:
o
The overwhelming majority (85.6%) of respondent households were
currently turning off lights and appliances when not being used.
o
Approximately two-thirds of respondent households had installed
energy efficient lights (67.3%) and water efficient showerheads
(68.9%).
o
A little less than half (44.0%) of the respondent households currently
reduce heat transfer from windows.
o
Approximately one-third of respondent households currently
purchase sustainable products (35.9%), buy organic and / or local
produce (34.6%), grow fruit and vegetables (38.5%), and use rain
water tanks (32.0%).
o
Approximately one-quarter of respondent households currently
reuse grey water on gardens (24.0%) and compost or worm farm
(21.3%).
o
Ten percent (10.1%) of respondent households currently car pool to
work or study.
Issues for Council to address
 A total of 675 respondent households (67.5% up from 50.2%) identified at least
one issue they believe Council should address in the coming year.
o
The top five issues were:





Traffic management
(28.3% down from 29.9%)
Roads maintenance and repairs (20.0% up from 6.6%)
Public transport
(18.6% up from 17.1%)
Safety, policing and crime
(13.6% up from 7.6%)
Parking
(11.6% up from 7.2%).
Page 17 of 18
City of Whittlesea – 2015 Household Survey
Performance of Council
 Performance of Council across all areas of responsibility.
o
The average satisfaction in 2015 was 5.18, on scale from zero to ten
where five is neutral, a decrease of 4.9% from 2014 (5.45).
o
The proportion of respondent households very satisfied (rating 8 to
10) increased from 18.8% to 21.0%, and the proportion dissatisfied
(rating 0 to 4) also increased from 19.9% to 24.7%.
o
Respondents from Doreen rated overall satisfaction notably but not
measurably lower than the average at just 4.56.
o
The most commonly identified reasons for respondents rating the
performance of Council overall at less than five related to
“communication and awareness” (34.1% of comments), and general
negative comments (10.1%).
 Governance and leadership.
o
Average satisfaction with the five aspects of governance and
leadership (on a scale of 0 – 10) were as follows:





Meeting responsibility to environment
Community consultation / engagement
Representation and advocacy
Making decisions in interests of com.
Keeping the community informed
(5.55 dn from 5.86)
(5.01 dn from 5.43)
(5.01 dn from 5.29)
(4.91)
(5.18)
o
A little less than one-sixth of respondent households (14.8%) were
dissatisfied with Council managing its environmental responsibilities.
o
A little more than one-quarter of respondent households were
dissatisfied with each of the four other aspects of governance and
leadership.
Importance of and satisfaction with Council services and facilities
 The average importance of the twenty-two services and facilities included in the
2015 survey was 7.23 out of 10 down from 7.25. The importance was rated
between 8.3 for waste management services and 6.40 for fostering aboriginal
reconciliation.
 The average satisfaction with the twenty-two services and facilities included in
the 2015 survey was 6.26 out of ten, up from 6.24. Satisfaction with each of the
twenty-two included services and facilities varied from 7.39 for waste and
recycling collection services to 5.27 for promotion of local employment
opportunities.
Page 18 of 18