The following abbreviations have been used in this publication
| $'000 | thousand dollars |
| $m | million dollars |
| ABS | Australian Bureau of Statistics |
| ACT | Australian Capital Territory |
| ANZSIC | Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification |
| BERD | business expenditure on R&D |
| GDP | gross domestic product |
| GSP | gross state product |
| n.e.c. | not elsewhere classified |
| no. | number |
| NSW | New South Wales |
| NT | Northern Territory |
| OECD | Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development |
| PYE | person years of effort |
| Qld | Queensland |
| R&D | research and experimental development |
| RFCD | research fields, courses and disciplines |
| SA | South Australia |
| SEO | socio-economic objective |
| Tas. | Tasmania |
| Vic. | Victoria |
| WA | Western Australia |