Mortgage stress levels rise most since 2006 in WA and Queensland: ABS census 2011
Mining states Western Australia and Queensland have recorded the biggest rises in the percentage of households in mortgage stress, according to the results of the 2011 census.
The census reveals the percentage of households with mortgage repayments greater than 30% of household income – the widely accepted measure of mortgage stress.
In WA, this figure has risen from 7.8% to 10.2% of households in the space of five years, while the proportion of Queensland households in mortgage stress has increased from 7.7% to 9.7%.
WA now has the second highest proportion of borrowers in mortgage stress, behind NSW (10.5%), having surpassed Victoria (10.1%) since the 2006 census.
The biggest rise in mortgage repayments between 2006 and 2011 occurred in the Northern Territory – up $758 – followed by WA ($737).
State | Monthly mortgage repayment - 2011 | Monthly mortgage repayment - 2006 | Difference | % households with mortgage repayments greater than 30% of household income- 2011 | % households with mortgage repayments greater than 30% of household income- 2006 |
NSW | $1,993 | $1,517 | $476 | 10.5% | 9.6% |
VIC | $1,700 | $1,252 | $448 | 10.1% | 8.7% |
QLD | $1,850 | $1,300 | $550 | 9.7% | 7.7% |
SA | $1,500 | $1,018 | $482 | 8.8% | 6.9% |
WA | $1,950 | $1,213 | $737 | 10.2% | 7.8% |
TAS | $1,300 | $867 | $433 | 7.5% | 5.6% |
NT | $2,058 | $1,300 | $758 | 7.7% | 6% |
ACT | $2,167 | $1,500 | $667 | 7.8% | 6.5% |
Nation-wide | $1,800 | $1,300 | $500 | 9.9% | 8.4% |
Source: Census 2011 (ABS)
