Historical insights into the Census

| August 3, 2011

Australia’s national census will take place on Tuesday 9 August and celebrates 100 years of information gathering.
 
Around 14.2 million census forms will be delivered to Australia’s 9.8 million households with more than 46 million pages of data transported and processed by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Almost 30 per cent of the population are expected to fill out their forms online using eCensus.

The first population counts of Australia were known as musters and were conducted as early as 1788. Musters involved all members of the community gathering at specified locations to be counted. These were important as a means of matching food and other supplies to the number of people needing them. From 1795 the convict population was mustered on an annual basis.

The first of the Australian censuses as we now know them was held in New South Wales in November 1828. Each of the colonies conducted their own Censuses until 1886.

On 3 April 1881 the first simultaneous census of the British Empire covering the United Kingdom, India and the Crown Settlements (including Australia) was taken. This census produced the first set of colonial population figures for the same day although the questions were not uniform across all colonies.

A census conference held in Sydney on 26 February 1900 arranged for an Australian census to be conducted on a uniform basis. The ‘Federation Census’ was to be taken on 31 March 1901.

In 1911 Australia’s population was almost four and a half million and the average weekly income was four pounds 13 shillings. A century later the population is just over 22 and a half million and the average family weekly income is $1,171.

In 1911
• 7,300 Census Collectors were employed;
• Census Collectors worked mainly on foot but some travelled by horseback or bicycle;
• A Census Collector was expected to cover the costs of fodder for their horse; and
• The Census form asked whether respondents were subjects of the British Empire.

In 2011
• Around 43,000 collection staff will be employed.
• Collection is still mainly on foot. However some Census Collectors use motor vehicles and in remote parts of
Australia even travel by helicopter.
• Census Collectors will be paid motor vehicle fuel allowance.
• The Census will collect a range of information reflecting multicultural heritage, including language spoken at home, country of birth, ancestry and Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander origin.

Following the 1961 census Australia has had a census taken every five years. In selecting a census date the ABS aims to select one that minimises the proportion of the population who are not at their usual place of residence.

In 1911 and 1921 a census date near the beginning of April was selected. From 1933  through to the 1986 the date was moved to around the end of June.

In 1991 the census date was moved to early August after mainland states changed from a three term to a four term school year with school holidays falling near the end of June. School holidays around the census date increased collection difficulties and reduced the quality of data obtained as many people are absent from their usual place of residence.

ABS web site Spotlight takes some of the data from the last census – conducted in 2006 – and turns it into a simple interactive movie to show just a few of the interesting things that the census can tell us about Australia’s people and population.

Once you’ve explored Spotlight, you can create an infographic of your own – a personalised snapshot of your own numbers that you can share with friends.

The census is your chance to shed some light on who we all are and help create the data that will light the way forward for important decisions on health, education, the environment and more.

 

Les Pickett is Chief Executive Pacific Rim Consulting Group and Partner for Australasia and South East Asia for international human capital management organisation McBassi & Company. His professional career has taken him to over twenty countries. Former roles include General Manager Management Services Coles Myer and Deputy Director United Nations System Staff College. He is an Ambassador to Tomorrow’s Global Company, a UK based business led think tank, member of the International Board of Advisors International Public Management Association for Human Resources and past international president of the Institute of Business Administration.

 

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