University of New South Wales - UNSW - Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Subject Guide

Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Subject Guide

ABS Publications \| Census Data \| Historical Data

The UNSW Library has extensive holdings of ABS historical data in print, in microfiche, and in electronic format. This guide presents a list of the collections, including census data, and guides to these collections.

Historical Publications Index

ABS - Historical Publications Index 1907 to 1993

Click the above link, click Education Resources, click Library Extension Program, then click Historical Publications Index.

The print version of this index is the Index to the Historical Microfiche Series 1901-1993 [1123.0], available in the UNSW Library at SREF319.405/1.

State publications are not included. ABS numbers will correspond to the microfiche collection or to the ABS print collection, both of which are described below.

Historical statistics on microfiche

Historical ABS publications on microfiche can be found at SMFL/1007, located on Level 3 of the Social Sciences & Humanities Library.

Contents range from 1804 to 1993, and include the censuses from colonial times (being the censuses of the pre-federated states) as well as the censuses that followed federation.

SMFL/1007 is divided into 2 parts and is searched by 2 different guides:

1. Historical Microfiche Series 1901-1993.
Lists publications released by the central office of the ABS since 1901, including censuses from 1911 to 1991.
The guide to this collection is the Index to the Historical Microfiche Series 1901-1993 [1123.0], available at SREF319.405/1.

2. Colonial Statistics 1804-1901.
Contains microfiche of statistics published by the various colonial or pre-federated states, including their various censuses, and the first national census of 1901.
The guide to this collection is Colonial Statistics Catalogue of Australian Statistical Publications 1804 to 1901. Statistics collected by the six colonial statistical bureaus from 1804 to 1901 [1115.0]. Find this thin catalogue in a black box on top of the microfiche cabinets, Level 3 of the Social Sciences & Humanities Library.

Historical statistics in print

The ABS print collection is at SREF319.405/1 to /8 in the Reference Collection on Level 3 of the Social Sciences & Humanities Library.

To find data from 1961 to the present use:

Catalogue of Publications and Products [1101.0] for data from 1977 to the present, available at SREF319.405/8.

Publications of the Comonwealth Bureau of Census and Statistics (1.8) for data from 1961 to 1976, available at SREF319.405/1

Data prior to 1961 can be found by either browsing the shelves or using:

Index to the Historical Microfiche Series 1901-1993 [1123.0] available at SREF319.405/8

Catalogue of Australian statistical publications, 1804 to 1901 [1115.0] available at SREF319.405/8

Historical census data

For detailed descriptions of cenus resources, click the Census Data link above.

Historical census data may be found via the resources listed above. E.g. for historical censuses from earliest colonial times and after Federation in 1901, see Catalogue of Australian Statistical Publications 1804 to 1901 or Index to the Historical Microfiche Series 1901-1993.

ABS provides an index of census publications from 1911 to 1993 via the Historical Publications Index.

Recent census data, from 1981 to 2001, is available in electronic format. The various electronic census databases CLIB and CDATA have a time series component that allows comparison of data from various censuses, where the data is comparable.

ABS provides publications and links for the 2001 and 1996 censuses.