| $'000 | thousand dollars |
| $m | million dollars |
| ABN | Australian Business Number |
| ABR | Australian Business Register |
| ABS | Australian Bureau of Statistics |
| ABSBR | Australian Bureau of Statistics Business Register |
| ABSMP | Australian Bureau of Statistics maintained population |
| ACT | Australian Capital Territory |
| ANZSRC | Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification |
| ATO | Australian Taxation Office |
| ATOMP | Australian Taxation Office maintained population |
| excl. | excluding |
| FOR | Fields of Research |
| GDP | gross domestic product |
| GOVERD | government expenditure on R&D |
| GSP | gross state product |
| NPIs | non-profit institutions |
| NSW | New South Wales |
| NT | Northern Territory |
| OECD | Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development |
| PNP | private non-profit |
| PNPERD | private non-profit expenditure on R&D |
| PYE | person years of effort |
| Qld | Queensland |
| R&D | research and experimental development |
| SA | South Australia |
| SEO | socio-economic objective |
| SESCA | Standard Economic Sector Classification of Australia |
| SISCA | Standard Institutional Sector Classification of Australia |
| SNA | System of National Accounts |
| Tas. | Tasmania |
| TAU | type of activity unit |
| TNTS | The New Tax System |
| Vic. | Victoria |
| WA | Western Australia |
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