Book contents
- The Cambridge Economic History of Australia
- The Cambridge Economic History of Australia
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Contributors
- List of figures
- List of maps
- List of tables
- Preface
- Abbreviations
- Introduction: connecting past, present and future
- Part 1 Framework
- Part 2 Transition
- Part 3 Economic expansion of the colonies
- Part 4 A national economy
- Part 5 Building the modern economy
- Part 6 Looking backwards and to the future
- 21 A statistical narrative: Australia, 1800–2010
- 22 Wealth and welfare
- 23 Property rights regimes and their environmental impacts
- 24 Refiguring Indigenous economies: a 21st-century perspective
- Statistical Appendix: selected data series, 1800–2010
- References
- Subject index
- Company index
21 - A statistical narrative: Australia, 1800–2010
from Part 6 - Looking backwards and to the future
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 September 2014
Book contents
- The Cambridge Economic History of Australia
- The Cambridge Economic History of Australia
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Contributors
- List of figures
- List of maps
- List of tables
- Preface
- Abbreviations
- Introduction: connecting past, present and future
- Part 1 Framework
- Part 2 Transition
- Part 3 Economic expansion of the colonies
- Part 4 A national economy
- Part 5 Building the modern economy
- Part 6 Looking backwards and to the future
- 21 A statistical narrative: Australia, 1800–2010
- 22 Wealth and welfare
- 23 Property rights regimes and their environmental impacts
- 24 Refiguring Indigenous economies: a 21st-century perspective
- Statistical Appendix: selected data series, 1800–2010
- References
- Subject index
- Company index
Summary
This chapter discusses the evolution of the main official statistical collections in the period 1800-2010 and the evolution of the Australian economy using those statistics. Official statistical collections began with European settlement in 1788. In 1850 the British parliament enacted the Australian Colonies Government Act, which granted representative constitutions to the colonies. Self-government came in 1855-56, and created a requirement for statistics to support efficient public administration by the individual colonies. By the end of the 19th century, Australia's official statistical collections were broad in scope, of high quality and at the leading edge of statistical measurement internationally. The chapter presents tables and graphs based on data compiled from various sources. Economic growth and development and the consequent improvements in levels of consumption are remarkably consistent, despite turning points in the growth of population, GDP, investment and productivity.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- The Cambridge Economic History of Australia , pp. 465 - 488Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2014