Statistics Australia: a guide to resources

Sources for Australian Statistical Publications (ABS)

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) is Australia's national statistical agency. It produces and disseminates most of Australia's statistics including the 5 yearly national Census of Population and Housing. However, there are other government agencies which publish statistical data in their areas of responsibility. ABS lists some of them in their Other Agencies Guide - the following is an expanded list:

ABARE (Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics) - especially their publications Australian commodities statistics, Australian mineral statistics

Australian Dept of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (AFFA) - especially their publication Australian food statistics

Australian Dept of Foreign Affairs & Trade (DFAT) - DFAT's trade statistics are available in full-text from their web-page

Australian Dept of Immigration and Citizenship - statistical publications on migration and population-related issues

Australian Dept of Innovation, Industry, Science & Research

Australian Dept of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development & Local Government - especially their publication Australian Transport Statistics

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare - the national agency for health and welfare statistics and information

Office for Women - publishes statistics on women in Australia

Reserve Bank of Australia - especially the Reserve Bank Bulletin

Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Publications

ABS Publications from 1998

From 1998 most ABS publications are freely available electronically from the ABS web-site.

A good place to start for straightforward statistical information is ABS's Year books and other multi-subject products section. There you will find Year book Australia and similar statistical overviews for each state and territory. However, only the latest of these is available electronically from ABS - check the library catalogue for details of earlier volumes.

For more complex searches, ABS offers a number of browsing options for finding publications including the following:

Themes Page - lists publications by broad subject and includes links to appropriate non-ABS sources of statistics such as ABARE and the Reserve Bank

Catalogue Number - allows you to identify ABS publications by broad subject and then drill down to individual publications

ABS Directories - provide a ready reference to sources of statistical information (both ABS & non-ABS) on a number of topics

Please note that not all ABS products are available for free. All enquiries about non-standard ABS products should be directed to the ABS Consultancy Services with the exception of applications for Confidentialised Unit Record Files (CURF's) which are made through the university. A list of avaialble CURF's is available from here.

ABS Publications 1804-1998

Publications prior to 1998 are generally not available in electronic format from ABS. To find these publications means locating them in the library in either print, CD-ROM or microfiche formats. Here is a summary of what to look for:

Publications between 1994 & 1998 are in CD-ROM format. The CD-ROM's are not networked, and are only available in the Barr Smith Library. Most print copies of ABS publications included in the CD-ROM's have been discarded except for significant publications such as the Year Book Australia and the South Australian Year Book

Publications between 1901 & 1993 are available in microfiche format. The microfiche copies replace the library's original print copies, most of which have been discarded except for significant publications such as the Year Book Australia and the South Australian Year Book.

Publications of the colonial period from 1804 to 1901 are available in microfiche format.

A useful way of identifying historical statistical sources is through the following printed guides:

Checklist of nineteenth century Australian colonial statistical sources
Australians, historical statistics
Foundation to federation : South Australian statistical sources 1836-1901
Historical statistics of Australia : a select list of official sources
South Australian historical statistics

The ABS publication Australian Statisticians and the development of official statistics provides a useful historical overview on the collection of statistics in Australia.

Census Statistics

These generally consist of the following types of ABS publications:

statistical (mainly statistical tables)
thematic (series of datasets on a particular theme with substantial analysis/commentary such as the Atlas of the Australian people series
state-specific (census information of interest to a particular State)
reference publications (explanatory publications on the conceptual framework of a census and the way in which a census is taken)

If you only require basic census information it might be quicker to consult ABS's Census QuickStats or their Year books and other multi-subject products section.

CDATA Online allows you to create your own tables of Census data on a range of different topics such as - age, education, housing, income, transport, religion, ethnicity, occupation and more. This free online product allows you to create tables, maps and graphs of Census characteristics for all ABS geographic areas.

Census Statistics 1996 & Beyond

Information about census products is available from the ABS Census Data web page. Some substantial publications from the 1996 census may also be available in print format in the library (check individual titles in the library catalogue), and in CD-ROM format (the CD-ROM's are not networked, & are only available in the Barr Smith Library).

If you require the capacity and the flexibility to analyse and map census data you may need CDATA - a desktop software package that allows users to analyse and display comprehensive census data in detailed maps, graphs and reports. It is not available at this library but is available at the State Library of South Australia. CDATA for the 2006 census is due for release in May 2008.

Census Statistics 1901-1991

The 1901 Census was conducted cooperatively by the States, and the data from it is available in the Statistical Account of the Seven Colonies of Australasia [print only] . It is also available in microfiche format as part of the Colonial microfiche collection.

The first census conducted by the Commonwealth of Australia was in 1911. Subsequent censuses were conducted in 1921, 1933, 1947, 1954 and 1961, and from 1961, a census has been conducted every five years. Print copies of the 1911,1921,1933,1947 censuses are contained in the publication Census of the Commonwealth of Australia [print only]

A complete set of census publications from 1901 to 1991 is available in microfiche format as part of the Historical microfiche series

Colonial Census Statistics

From 1828 (starting with New South Wales) until 1886 the colonies conducted & published the results of their own censuses. The first simultaneous census of Australia was conducted in 1881 as part of a census of the British Empire.

Census statistics of the colonial period are available in microfiche format as part of the Colonial microfiche collection.

Note that much of the census data included in the microfiche collection is also available in the library in print format via the Parliamentary papers (also known as the Blue Books) and the various Statistical Registers of the colonies.

Also of relevance is the Statistical Account of the Seven Colonies of Australasia [print only] which consists of eleven editions, from 1890 to 1902-03.

This page is maintained by Rebecca Ramm