Employment
Unpaid care
About this topic
Unpaid care records whether people aged 15 years and over spent time providing unpaid help or assistance to someone because of disability, long-term illness, or problems related to old age. It captures informal care provided by family members or others in the community.
This topic is useful for understanding the demand placed on informal carers and the likely need for support services, respite, and home-based assistance. It does not measure the intensity or duration of care, so it should be read alongside need for assistance and other health and ageing indicators.
Interpretation notes
- This records whether a person aged 15 years and over provided unpaid help or assistance in the previous two weeks because of disability, long-term illness, or old age.
- It identifies whether care was provided, not the intensity, frequency, or number of hours of care.
Related topics
Key insight
In 2021, not providing unpaid care was the most common response among residents aged 15 and over in Lightning Ridge, accounting for 64.4% (1,071 people). This share was higher than Walgett (A) (62.9%). Since 2016, the biggest change was in not providing unpaid care, which decreased by 262 people and 4.4 percentage points.
Section overview
Unpaid care
Lightning Ridge - Persons aged 15+ (Usual residence)
This table summarises unpaid care for Lightning Ridge in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Walgett (A) and change since 2016.
Unpaid care snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Lightning Ridge, with comparison markers for Walgett (A).
Total Provided Unpaid Assistance
2021 count
233
% of total
14.0%
Change from 2016
+1.5pp
233
14.0%
+1.5pp
Total No Unpaid Assistance Provided
2021 count
1,071
% of total
64.4%
Change from 2016
-4.4pp
1,071
64.4%
-4.4pp
Total Unpaid Assistance Not Stated
2021 count
359
% of total
21.6%
Change from 2016
+3.1pp
359
21.6%
+3.1pp
Chart view
Unpaid care change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Total Provided Unpaid Assistance
-10
+1.5pp
Total No Unpaid Assistance Provided
-262
-4.4pp
Total Unpaid Assistance Not Stated
+1
+3.1pp
Data table
Unpaid care for Lightning Ridge. Unpaid care. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Walgett (A).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Walgett (A)% | Count | % | Walgett (A)% | Count | pp | |
| Total Provided Unpaid Assistance | 233 | 14.0% | 10.4% | 243 | 12.5% | 11.1% | -10 | +1.5pp |
| Total No Unpaid Assistance Provided | 1,071 | 64.4% | 62.9% | 1,333 | 68.8% | 71.7% | -262 | -4.4pp |
| Total Unpaid Assistance Not Stated | 359 | 21.6% | 26.6% | 358 | 18.5% | 17.2% | +1 | +3.1pp |
| Total | 1,664 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 1,938 | 100.0% | 100.0% | -274 | 0.0pp |