8563.0 - Botanic Gardens, Australia, 1999-2000  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 23/04/2001   
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MEDIA RELEASE

April 23, 2001
Embargoed: 11:30 AM (AEST)
39/2001

Botanic gardens thrive on 11.8 million visits during 1999-2000

In the year to June 2000 there were 11.8 million visitors to the 123 employing botanic gardens, arboreta and herbaria in Australia, according to the Botanic Gardens, Australia, 1999-2000 publication released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

The total area of these botanic gardens was 3,664 hectares. This area held 7.4 million plant specimens of which 1.3 million were living plants and 6.1 million were preserved plants. There was an average of 18,323 living plant specimens and 1,913 living plant species in these botanic gardens at the end of June 2000.

The total income of botanic gardens was $92 million during 1999-2000. These organisations were very dependent on government funding ($73 million) for their operations, which accounted for 80% of their income. While government funding represented 86% of botanic garden income in 1996-1997, an increasing source of income is fundraising ($4.6 million), which has more than doubled since 1996-1997.

Labour costs of $50 million represented 61% of the total expenses of botanic gardens during 1999-2000. These labour costs paid 1,250 employees at an average of $39,600 per employee. Of the 1,250 employees, 78% worked on a full-time permanent basis. In addition, a further 1,991 volunteers worked for botanic gardens, giving a total of 3,241 staff at the end of June.

The main contributors to botanic garden statistics were the six large organisations with employment of 50 or more. These large organisations accounted for 69% of the employees, 42% of the volunteers, 73% of the government funding, 72% of the number of plant specimens and 62% of the number of visits.

Further details can be found in Botanic Gardens, Australia 1999-2000 (cat. no. 8563.0) available from ABS bookshops. The main features of the publication are available on this site. If you wish to purchase a copy of this publication, contact the ABS Bookshop in your capital city.