1301.2 - Victorian Year Book (Soft cover), 2001  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 07/03/2001   
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MEDIA RELEASE

March 07, 2001
Embargoed: 11:30 AM (AEST)
23/2001

2001 Victorian Year Book Released Today

The 2001 Victorian Year Book, released today, celebrates the Centenary of Federation with a special feature article entitled "Victoria: 100 Years since Federation".

The article provides a comprehensive statistical comparison of the economy and social conditions in Victoria between 1901 and 2001, drawn from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), Commonwealth and State Governments and a range of other organisations.

Some facts from the 2001 Victorian Year Book:
  • Primary Production employed 36 percent of the working male population in 1901 compared to 4 percent of the workforce in 2000.
  • In 1901, 1 in 5 Melburnians (95,000) attended the Melbourne Cup and in 2000 (considering population increase) only 1 in 28 (121,015) attended. In 1901, 30,031 people attended the Grand Final in Melbourne and in 2000, 96,249 attended.
  • In 1901, 7 percent of school aged children (6 to 13 years) were not receiving an education and in 1999, 13.3 percent of all students completed the VCE.
  • In 1901, the predominant criminal activities were drunkenness, vagrancy and larrikinism. In 1999, 91 percent of all crimes recorded by police included unlawful entry with intent, motor vehicle theft and other theft.
  • Details about the opening of the inaugural Commonwealth Parliament on 9 May 1901 at what is today the Exhibition Building and the first official flying of the Australian flag on 3 September 1901.

The latest edition (the 113th) of the annual publication also contains detailed statistical information about a wide range of subjects including information technology, regional and rural, natural resources and environment, health, population, education, housing and the economy.
  • In 1997, 56 native species (59 percent of which were vascular plants) were extinct and 759 or 17 percent were threatened.
  • In 1999, 51 percent of households had home computer access and 23 percent had home Internet access. An increase of 8.5 percent and 10.2 percent from 1998, respectively.
  • The largest contributor to total factor income in Victoria in 1999-2000 was manufacturing (16 percent), followed by property and business services (14 percent).

Copies of the 2001 Victorian Year Book (Cat No. 1301.2) are available from the ABS Bookshop , Level 5, CGU Tower, 485 LaTrobe St, Melbourne; or by phone on 1300 135 070.