Archived Government publications: Australian Bureau of Statistics Publications

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) is Australia's national statistical agency. The ABS conducts the national Census of Population and Housing, as well as collecting, collating and publishing statistics on the economy, people, industry, energy, environment and regions of Australia.

• Year Book Australia

  A comprehensive overview of the economic and social conditions of contemporary Australia.
• Australian Economic Indicators

  Statistical summary of the performance of the Australian economy.
• Australian Social Trends

  Quarterly publication that draws on a wide range of data to present a picture of Australian society.
• Statistical publications by Topic

  Key statistics on economy, people, industry, environment, energy and regions.

• ABS Help page
• ABS telephone and email help service
• ABS video tutorials - TableBuilder
• How to cite ABS sources

Searching for ABS Data and Information (Statistics Filter)
Use the Statistics Filter to search for publications by topic, and for quick and easy access to all ABS publications. These include economy, people, health, industry, labour, environment, snapshot of Australia, Microdata and Methods and Classifications. 

You can also browse statistics by catalogue number or by release date. 

The ABS Catalogue Number uniquely identifies each title in the ABS product range. Learn  How to interpret ABS Catalogue Numbers. 

Here are some key ABS publications: 

• Year Book Australia

  A comprehensive overview of the economic and social conditions of contemporary Australia.
• Australian Economic Indicators

  Statistical summary of the performance of the Australian economy.
• Australian Social Trends

  Quarterly publication that draws on a wide range of data to present a picture of Australian society.
• Statistical publications by Topic

  Key statistics on economy, people, industry, environment, energy and regions.

The census in Australia, or officially, the Census of Population and Housing  is the largest statistical collection undertaken in Australia.The count is taken every five years and is managed by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). The census aims to accurately measure the number of people and dwellings in Australia on census night, and a range of their key characteristics. 

A brief history

The first Australian census was held in 1911 (previous censuses being organised by the colonies) and subsequent censuses were held in 1921, 1933, 1947, 1954 and 1961. In 1961 the five-year period was introduced. 

ABS Census page allows you to do a QuickStats search by geography (enter a location),  or advanced search 

The Historical Census and Colonial Data Archive (HCCDA) is a searchable archive of Australian Colonial census publications and reports. It's a sub-archive of the Australian Data Archive (ADA). Covers colonies: VIC, NSW, QLD, SA, TAS, and WA up to 1901 .