Governments and the cultural industries themselves require reliable statistical information to ensure effective policy and planning decisions.

This publication, Cultural Trends in Australia: A Statistical Overview, has been produced jointly by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) and the Commonwealth Department of Communications and the Arts. It brings together a range of data from both ABS and non-ABS sources and updates most of the material presented in the first issue released in 1994. This second issue differs from the first in that it presents cultural data on both a topic basis (e.g. attendance at venues, employment) and a sector basis (e.g. museums, visual arts). It also includes a wider range of cultural statistics available since the release of the first issue.

The publication uses a definition of cultural industries based on the National Culture/Leisure Industry Statistical Framework produced by the Cultural Ministers Council. This framework was devised so data about cultural activities could be collected on a consistent basis.

Most of the information presented in this publication was collected by the ABS, but data from surveys conducted by other organisations have also been used so a more complete picture of the cultural industries can be provided. Care must be taken in comparing data from different sources presented in this publication due to differences in survey methodology, definitions and reference periods.

This publication, while not intended to be exhaustive, offers a helpful overview of the most up-to-date statistics on the cultural sector and facilitates assessment of the sector's contribution to our economy and way of life.