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Name: Queensland Past and Present: 100 Years of Statistics,
1896–1996
Section name: Chapter 3, Demography, Section 2
Pages: 68–76
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 The State of Queensland 2009
QUEENSLAND PAST AND PRESENT
population growth has flourished in the Brisbane Statistical Division and on both the Gold
and Sunshine Coast regions.
The rapid growth of population in these regions since the 1970s is due mainly to net interstate
migration, the result of a broad range of factors including climate and other environmental
attributes, the availability of employment, and proximity to facilities and services.
The population growth of Queensland's major urban centres for the years 1901-1996 is shown
in table 3.5. Most coastal cities have shown strong growth, particularly those that have
experienced growth as a result of increased tourist activities. The Gold Coast urban region
provides a good example, with population having increased from 4,218 in 1933 to 274,157 in
1996. Charters Towers, the second largest population centre in Queensland in 1901, declined
rapidly in size when the supply of surface gold was exhausted.
COMPONENTS OF POPULATION CHANGE
Growth in population occurs through natural increase (the difference between births and
deaths) and net migration (the difference between incoming and outgoing migration—in
Queensland's case both overseas and interstate migration apply).
Natural increase
Natural increase in Queensland's population from 1896 to 1996 is shown in figure 3.3 and
tables 3.6 and 3.7. Natural increase rose from 8,372 in 1896 to 25,488 in 1996, although the rate
of natural increase fell from 18.7 to 7.6 over the same period (table 3.6). Fluctuations in the rate
of natural increase between 1896 and 1996 have been due to changes in the birth rate rather
than the death rate which has declined gradually over this period (figure 3.3). Natural increase
contributed 82.2% of population growth in 1896-1900, but fell to 33.0% in the 1991-1996
period due to a decline in the birth rate and an increase in net interstate migration (table 3.7).
Figure 3.3 Births, deaths and natural increase, Queensland, 1896-1996
50,000
1896
1906
1916
1926
1936
1946
1956
1966
1976
1986
Source: GSO and ABS data, in ABS, Demographic History of Queensland, Cat. no. 3104.3; ABS, Queensland Year Book,
1997; ABS, Births. Australia, J996, Cat. no. 3301.0; ABS, Deaths, Australia, 1996, Cat. no. 3302.0.
68
1996
DEMOGRAPHY
Table 3.5 Population (a) by city, Queensland, 1901-1996
City
1901 (b)
1933
1981 (c)
— number —
1991 (c)
1996 (c)
Brisbane (d)
Bundaberg
Caims
Caloundra
134,674
9,666
3,467
n.a.
324,254
11,466
11,993
n.a.
942,836
32,560
48,557
16,758
1,145,537
38,074
64,463
22,094
1,291,117
41,025
92,273
28,329
Charters Towers
Gladstone
Gold Coast (e)
Gympie
20,976
1,622
n.a.
14,431
6,978
3,039
4,218
7,749
6,823
22,083
135,437
10,768
9,016
23,462
225,773
10,791
8,893
26,415
274,157
10,813
Hervey Bay
Mackay
Maryborough
Mount Isa
n.a.
5,157
12,900
n.a.
n.a.
10,665
11,415
3,241
13,569
35,361
20,111
23,679
22,205
40,250
20,790
23,667
32,054
44,880
21,286
21,751
Rockhampton
Toowoomba
Townsville (f)
Warwick
19,691
14,087
15,506
4,225
29,369
26,423
25,876
6,664
50,146
63,401
86,112
8,853
55,768
75,990
101,398
10,393
57,770
83,350
109,914
10,947
(a) Persons enumerated in ABS censuses.
(b) Population within 8 km of the post office; for Brisbane 16 km from the General Post Office; for Gympie 8 km from the railway
station as the post office was not central to the city. Municipalities of Rockhampton and North Rockhampton are combined.
(c) Figures apply to urban centres.
(d) Brisbane figure includes surrounding areas such as Ipswich and Redcliffe.
(e) For 1933 applies to Southport. For 1981-19% applies to that part of the Gold Coast urban centre situated in Queensland.
(f) For 1991 and 1996 applies to Townsville and Thuringowa.
Source: ABS, Census, 1901 and 1996, unpublished data; ABS, Census, various years, in ABS, Queensland Year Book, various
years; ABS, Census, in ABS, Cat. nos. 2403.0 and 2730.3.
The number of births registered in Queensland in 1896 was 14,017, while the crude birth rate
(that is, the number of births per 1,000 of mean population) was 31.3. Although the number of
births increased with the size of the population, and reached 47,769 in 1996, the crude birth
rate halved to 14.2. Falling below 30 for the first time in 1898, the birth rate remained in the
high 20s for the first two decades of the twentieth century before declining in the 1920s. The
rate fell below 20 in certain years in the 1930s, but rose to the mid 20s after World War II. The
rate then decreased gradually to around 20 by 1970. From the mid 1970s the birth rate continued
to decline.
At various times the fall in Queensland's birth rate has concerned government officials. After
the crude birth rate had fallen from 47.9 in 1860 to 30.2 in 1900, Australia was described in
1903 as:
a new country with a declining birth rate... Australia, with its large and sparsely-populated territory,
and with its industries in process of rapid development, might reasonably be pictured as an ideal
land, wherein the people would prove fruitful and multiply. Such, indeed, was the promise of the
early years of settlement. Present indications, however, give no hope of a teeming population
springing from Australasian parents, for the birth rate in all states has declined very greatly, especially
during the last fifteen years, and when compared with the total population, the births in three of
them are proportionately less numerous than in any European country, France alone excepted.5
Concern with having a small population in a vast country was taken up again in the 1960s by
the People the North Committee, which requested the Federal Government to fund programs
69
QUEENSLAND PAST AND PRESENT
Table 3.6 Births, deaths and natural increase, Queensland, 1896-1996
Year
Ex-nuptual
births
Births
1896
1900
1905
1910
1915
732
948
950
1,034
1,082
14,017
14,801
13,626
16,169
20,163
Deaths
— number —
5,645
5,747
5,503
5,744
7,559
1920
1925
1930
1935
1940
1,033
1,035
960
865
961
20,256
20,283
18,939
17,688
20,412
1945
1950
1955
1960
1965
1,804
1,428
1,859
2,173
3,210
1970
1975
1980
1985
1990
4,251
5,034
5,457
7,536
11,397
1995
1996
Natural
increase (a)
Infant
mortality (b)
8,372
9,054
8,123
10,425
12,604
1,466
1,456
1,029
1,017
1,297
7,947
7,545
7,455
8,851
9,203
12,309
12,738
11,484
8,837
11,209
1,281
917
757
659
721
26,713
29,028
32,352
35,213
33,615
9,459
10,399
11,307
12,370
14,182
17,254
18,629
21,045
22,843
19,433
795
719
656
740
599
17,055
16,421
16,396
18,629
19,321
14,255
15,578
37,530
36,403
35,001
40,437
44,868
46,484
47,769
672
547
383
411
345
293
304
1896
1900
1905
1910
1915
n.a.
n.a.
n.a.
n.a.
n.a.
31.3
30.2
25.8
27.3
29.1
20,663
22,281
— rate (c) —
12.6
11.7
10.4
9.7
10.9
20,475
19,982
18,605
21,808
25,547
25,821
25,488
18.7
18.5
15.4
17.6
18.2
104.6
98.4
75.5
62.9
64.3
1920
1925
1930
1935
1940
n.a.
n.a.
n.a.
n.a.
n.a.
27.2
24.2
20.8
18.3
19.9
10.7
9.0
8.2
9.2
9.0
16.5
15.2
12.6
9.1
10.9
63.2
45.2
40.0
37.3
35.3
1945
1950
1955
1960
1965
n.a.
n.a.
n.a.
n.a.
n.a.
24.8
24.4
24.1
23.6
20.5
8.8
8.7
8.4
8.3
8.6
29.8
24.8
20.3
21.0
17.8
1970
1975
1980
1985
1990
n.a.
n.a.
n.a.
n.a.
n.a.
20.9
17.7
15.4
15.7
• 15.4
9.5
8.0
7.2
7.2
6.7
16.0
15.6
15.7
15.3
11.8
11.4
9.7
8.2
8.5
8.8
1995
1996
n.a.
n.a.
14.2
14.2
6.2
6.7
7.9
7.6
6.3
6.4
17.9
15.0
10.9
10.2
7.7
(a) Excess of births over deaths.
(b) Deaths of persons aged under 12 months.
(c) Number per 1,000 of mean estimated resident population, except infant mortality which is number per 1,000 live births.
Source: GSO and ABS data, in ABS, Demographic History of Queensland, Cat. no. 3104.3; ABS, Queensland Year Book, 1997;
ABS, Births, Australia, 1996, Cat. no. 3301.0; ABS, Deaths, Australia, 1996, Cat. no. 3302.0; ABS, Australian Demographic
Statistics, March Quarter 1997, Cat. no. 3101.0.
70
DEMOGRAPHY
to attract permanent settlers to northern Australia. The committee believed that 'Mount Isa is
the model. With a dozen more Mount Isas, half-a-dozen even, the North would be on its way'.6
The proportion of ex-nuptial (or illegitimate) births was low until the 1960s, but rose sharply
after that time. In 1896 there were 732 ex-nuptial births, accounting for 5.2% of all births in
that year (table 3.6). The proportion fluctuated between 4% and 8% of all births during the
first three decades of the twentieth century. From 1934 to 1942 the proportion fell below 5%
before increasing to 7% in 1944. Another decline in the proportion of ex-nuptial births after
World War II was followed by an increase from the 1960s onwards, passing 10% of all births in
1967,15% in 1980, 20% in 1987, 25% in 1990 and reaching 32.6% in 1996 as social attitudes
towards having children out of wedlock changed.
The other component of natural increase is deaths. The death rate since 1896 has declined
more slowly than the birth rate. The crude death rate (that is, the number of deaths per 1,000
of mean population) fell from 12.6 in 1896 to 6.7 in 1996 (table 3.6). The number of deaths rose
from 5,645 to 22,281 over the same period. In the first two decades of the twentieth century the
death rate fluctuated around 10. The rate declined to 8.2 by 1930 but then rose to around 9 in
the mid 1930s and the 1940s. Death rates of between 8 and 9 prevailed through the 1950s to the
mid 1970s. Since then the death rate has declined, falling below 8 in 1977 and below 7 in 1983.
Factors affecting the crude death rate include changes in infant mortality, life expectancy, the
average age of the population, and the general health of the population. Significant changes in
all these factors during the twentieth century resulted in declines in the death rate. The infant
mortality rate (the number of infants who die under 12 months of age per 1,000 live births)
declined steadily from 104.6 in 1896 to 6.4 in 1996 (table 3.6) due largely to advances in medicine
A family group, Queensland, 1890s.
71
QUEENSLAND PAST AND PRESENT
and public health care. The rate fell below 50 for the first time in the 1920s, below 30 in the
1940s, below 20 in the 1960s, and below 10 in 1983.
The main causes of death have changed significantly since 1896. Common causes of death in
the 1890s were illnesses such as tuberculosis and pneumonia. The occurrence of these illnesses
has been significantly reduced, although they have been replaced by conditions usually
contracted at a more advanced age including heart disease, malignant neoplasms (cancer) and
cerebral-vascular lesions (strokes).
Changes in the main causes of death and the increase in life expectancy were due largely to
public pressure for better health facilities which resulted in an increasing level of government
intervention in health issues:
In the nineteenth century, most of the Queensland population looked on epidemics and the
accompanying deaths as a burden that had to be borne. This was sometimes the opinion of
officialdom as well. Early governments, bent on developing the colony, were not interested in
health, but the threat of smallpox and the appearance of epidemics of typhoid fever and plague
forced the introduction of health legislation and the establishment of a public health department.
The registrar-general and the press drew attention to the insanitary state of the towns, and urged
a campaign based on the 'sanitary idea' with doctors to the forefront in these efforts. The local
authorities were often unwilling to spend the money necessary to effect these aims. Attitudes
gradually changed, and with the change, much was achieved. The commissioners of Public Health
gradually persuaded local authorities to adopt measures necessary to improve the sanitation of
their areas. A better-educated public recognized the advantages of improved personal and public
hygiene. By the mid-twentieth century, the public were demanding safe water supplies, sewerage
systems, proper drainage and immunization programmes. The appearance of a few cases of
infectious diseases, for which there were preventive measures, drew harsh criticism. In 1977 a
single case of cholera brought headlines in the press for several days.7
Life expectancy at birth in Queensland in the period 1891-1900 was 49.5 years for males and
55.8 years for females. By the early 1930s life expectancy for males and females at birth had
increased to 63.5 years and 67.1 years respectively. Just over thirty years later, the life expectancy
for newborn males was 67.9 years while the figure for females reached 74.3 years. For males
bora in 1993-5 life expectancy was calculated at 75.1 years, compared with 81.0 years for
females.8
Migration
The other contributor to population growth in Queensland has been net migration (that is, the
excess of arrivals over departures) from both overseas and interstate (figure 3.4 and table 3.7).
The contribution of migration was smaller than that of natural increase in most years until the
1970s. In some periods such as the early 1890s, early 1910s, 1915-1917 (during World War I)
and several years in the 1940s (during World War II) there was negative net migration to
Queensland. In 1971 net migration reached 34,844, compared with natural increase of 23,631.
In 1989 net migration was 63,737 and natural increase 21,626. From 1991 to 1996 net migration
contributed 67.0% of the increase in the State's population.
Immigrants, both free and bonded, began arriving in Australia with the establishment of a
penal settlement at Port Jackson in 1788. Schemes of assisted immigration by the Colonial/
State and Commonwealth Governments brought thousands of immigrants to Australia. The
British colonies, including Queensland, and other countries competed actively to attract
72
DEMOGRAPHY
Figure 3.4 Net migration, Queensland, 1896-1996
1896
1906
1916
1926
1936
1946
1956
1966
1976
1986
1996
Source: GSO and ABS data, in ABS, Demographic History of Queensland, Cat. no. 3104.3; ABS, Queensland Year Book
,1997; ABS, Australian Demographic Statistics, March Quarter 1996, Cat. no. 3101.0.
immigrants from the United Kingdom, northern Europe (mainly Germany and Scandinavia)
and later southern Europe. Conditions offered included assisted passage and liberal land
settlement schemes. Each Australian colony maintained its own immigration agents in the
United Kingdom while some had agents in Germany.
Government and non-government immigration schemes sought specialised skills. Immigration
also afforded a means of addressing the imbalance of the sexes, especially in the early years of
the colony. Immigration schemes encouraged settlement in country districts. The arrival of
immigrant ships in regional centres such as Thursday Island, Cooktown, Bowen, Rockhampton
and Maryborough ensured some of the new arrivals remained in areas outside the capital city.
By the 1880s and 1890s the number of immigrants brought to Queensland under assisted passage
schemes had declined.9
Table 3.7 Natural increase and net migration, Queensland, 1896-1900 to 1991-1996
Period
Average annual
natural
increase
1896-1900
1901-1910
1911-1920
1921-1930
1931-1940
1941-1950
8,352
8,700
12,013
12,000
9,880
15,681
1951-1960
1961-1970
1971-1980
1981-1990
1991-1996
20,980
20,727
19,928
22,631
25,470
Average annual
assumed net
migration
— number —
1,804
1,817
3,148
4,611
1,592
1,716
8,707
10.323
28,964
40,070
51,736
Total
Natural
increase
10,157
10,517
15,161
16,611
11,472
17,397
82.2
82.7
79.2
72.2
86.1
90.1
29,687
3 1 .050
48,892
62,701
77,206
70.7
66.8
40.8
36.1
33.0
Net
migration
— % —
17.8
17.3
20.8
27.8
13.9
9.9
29.3
33.2
59.2
63.9
67.0
Total
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
Source: GSO and ABS data, in ABS, Demographic History of Queensland, Cat. no. 3104.3; ABS, Australian Demographic
Statistics, March Quarter 1997, Cat. no. 3101.0; ABS, Queensland Year Book, 1997.
73
QUEENSLAND PAST AND PRESENT
Nominated Passengers.
may do so under the provisions of the Immigration A r t , by inalthi^ payments to the Immigration A^ent in Brisbane,
or the Assistant Immigration Agents, Maryborough, BtandMjprg, U'oxJihnmpfoti, Mackay or TpwnsvHle, or to the Clerks
of 1'etty Sessions at any other town in the Colony tijxm the following scale :—•
MALES Iwtween one and twelve years, £2 ; between twelve and" forty, £4 ; over forty and under fifty-five, £9.
FEMALES between one anti twelve, £i; between twelve and forty. £2 ; over fdrtj? and under fifty-five, £8.
MALES OK FEMALES- fifty-five and upwards, the full passage money, ^13 tjs.
ASSistCfl f*3SS6lillCliS» *^e Agent-General" for "Cjifeenslahd (wliose address is Westminster
Chambers, No, 1 Victoria Street, London, S.W.h will entertain applications for some assistance towards the total cost of passage from small capitalist Farmers, Market Gardeners, Dairymen
and Orchardists especially in the case of those having families. Full particulars as to the occupations of the head
and members of the family, their av,»ilab;e Capital and intentions as to pursuit on landing, etc., should be forwarded
with the application and each case will be con„
sidered on its merits. Whatever money con- r
tributions it may be decided to grant towards
the cost of passage may apply to the case of
persons wishing to proceed to the colony either
as second-class or as steerage passengers,
Full-Paying Passengers.
Any person whose application for an assisted
passage cannot be entertained may, as heretotore, avail himself ot the third-class passenger
rate namely, £i j ijs. (including "ship kit")
granted by the 1 Sriush-India Company's direct
line ot Steamers from London to Queensland.
Free Passengers.
; Servants and Farm Labourers will be granted
Frto passages to Queensland upon the approval -oi i he Agent-General for Queensland in
London (wht«e address is Westminster Charn'• bers, KO- 1 Victoria Street, JM>ndon, S.W.),
and forms of application setting forth the terms
and conditions upon which such- passages will
tie granted may lie obtained by communication
with the oiJiceof the Agent-General, who must
IMMIOKAIION O*»U,H ANB DJKPOT, BKI&BANK,
be thoroughly satisfied with the character and bona fides of each applicant. The only outlay to be incurred by the
Emigrant will be the cost of transit from his place of residence to the port of embarkation," and also the charge for
•• ship kit," viz, /I.
Reception in the Colony. Al1 K m »8 r ant«- as enumerated above, will be accommodated. Free
•* of all Expense, at the Immigration Depot at the port of arrival
for 14 days, or such period as may enable them to complete their arrangements, and they will further be entitled to
ol the Colony where a railway line exists.
receive a Free I'ass to any part of
Climate is healthy and entirely free from rigorous extremes.
Queensland as a Home. The
The Soil in many parts is Rich and Productive and equal to anything
to be lound in the world, A Splendid System of National Education prevails throughout the Colony which is
absolutely iree ta*all classes. Fftehold Farms of from 160 .acre* t« 640 acres, according to quality of soil and distance
from market, can be bought at the rate of 2s. (id. per Acie,4he purchase money being payable in yearly instalments of
3d. peg acre, and ex*ending over a perio4,of Ten i'ears.
WAGES—Farm Servants command from £35 to £50 per annum. Married Couples command up to £80 per
annum, l-emale Domestic Servants (induing Cooks, Housemaids, General Servants and Dairymaids), from 8s, to
26s. per wtek. (In all above cases " Board and stodging " is found.)
Immigration Cp«, Brisbane, 6t!k March, 1899,
J. O'N. BRENAN, Immigration Agent.
Schedule of conditions for persons emigrating to Queensland, Immigration Office, 1899. The
Immigration Act only allowed emigrants from UK and Europe. Note the scale of charges—
the older a person, the more they had to pay to emigrate.
74
DEMOGRAPHY
Section 51 of the Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act 1900 (Imp) provided the
Commonwealth Government with constitutional powers relating to immigration. In 1920 a
joint Commonwealth and State immigration scheme was implemented whereby the
Commonwealth was responsible for recruiting immigrants and bringing them to Australia,
while the States advised the Commonwealth as to the numbers and classes of immigrants they
would be prepared to accept. State migration schemes continued as complementary to the
Commonwealth scheme. The Commonwealth and British Governments contributed to the
assisted passage of approved settlers from the United Kingdom. In 1925 the Commonwealth
and British Governments entered into a Migration Agreement to make funds available at low
rates of interest to enable suitable areas of land to be made available for settlement. The
necessary public works to ensure that areas already settled could support a larger population
were also undertaken.
Emigration from countries such as Belgium, Denmark, France, Liechtenstein, Norway, Sweden,
Switzerland, Holland and Germany to Australia was comparatively small compared with that
to countries such as the United States, Canada, Argentina and Brazil.10 Although immigration
to Australia was predominantly from the United Kingdom and northern Europe, a large number
of Chinese came to Australia from the 1840s." The mining industry, especially in northern
Queensland, attracted thousands of Chinese immigrants, mainly from the maritime provinces
of southern China. Queensland's tropical industries such as sugar and pearling attracted
immigration from the 1860s from the islands of Melanesia and Micronesia, Japan, Java, the
Philippines and Sri Lanka. Japanese immigrants, for example, were occupied in the pearling
industry at Thursday Island.
Ethnic groups tended to concentrate in certain areas, for example, Germans in south-eastern
Queensland, Finns in the Mount Isa district and Italians in northern Queensland (in particular,
the shires of Hinchinbrook and Johnstone, and the city of Cairns) and in the shires of Inglewood
and Stanthorpe in southern Queensland.
The motivation for emigration to Australia was largely economic betterment. The fluctuations
in industries such as cotton in Lancashire in the 1860s and natural disasters such as the potato
famine in Ireland in the 1840s persuaded many thousands of people to seek better conditions
abroad. Immigration for humanitarian reasons was not unknown, examples being displaced
Russians from the Far East in the 1920s and the 1950s, and Europeans in Asia escaping Japanese
advances during World War II. Large-scale migration from the United Kingdom and Europe
occurred after World War II. Queensland did not receive the number or the diversity of
immigrants who arrived in New South Wales and Victoria.
At certain times immigration administrative procedures favoured the admission of migrants
from countries such as the United Kingdom. However, by the late 1970s all racial restrictions
in immigration laws and practices were removed.12
Immigration from other parts of Australia has been a major feature of the demographic history
of Queensland from the early period of the colony's development:
Northward movement to Queensland—from New South Wales and Victoria—has been a fairly
persistent feature of net internal migration in Australia since at least 1881, although the
movement during the twentieth century assumed major proportions only after the Second
World War.13
75
QUEENSLAND PAST AND PRESENT
In 1896, of the 27,723 persons who arrived in Queensland by sea and rail, 24,846 arrived from
other Australasian colonies. Of these, 22,821 came from New South Wales.14 In 1996 interstate
arrivals to Queensland totalled 114,189.15 Departures were also a feature of the demography
of Queensland. In 1896, 24,466 persons left the colony. Of these, 21,703 left for other
Australasian colonies, with 19,300 going to New South Wales.16 In 1996 the number of interstate
departures was 80,372.17
A survey by the Government Statistician's Office in 1995 estimated that 50,200 persons aged
15 years and over moved to Queensland from interstate in that year. The main reasons for
moving were employment related (for 39.7% of interstate migrants) and location (37.7%).
Nearly half (47.0%) came from New South Wales, a quarter (25.6%) from Victoria and smaller
proportions from other States and Territories. Compared with the overall population, interstate
migrants were younger, were more likely to be in the labour force and were more likely to
have tertiary qualifications. According to the GSO survey, most interstate migrants moved to
Brisbane City (21.4%), Gold Coast City (20.2%), Outer Brisbane (17.0%), Sunshine Coast
(8.0%) and, outside of south-east Queensland, Cairns City (7.1%) and Townsville/Thuringowa
(4.8%).
The survey estimated that a further 16,500 persons aged 15 years and over moved to Queensland
from overseas in 1995. Main reasons for moving were location (for 43.5% of overseas migrants)
and employment related (26.4%). Overseas migrants were younger, were more likely to be
managers or professionals and were more likely to have tertiary qualifications than the overall
population. These migrants moved to Brisbane City (43.5%), Gold Coast City (13.5%), Outer
Brisbane (11.8%) and Cairns City (7.5%).18
COMPOSITION OF THE POPULATION
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander persons
Estimates of the population prior to 1967 did not generally include Aboriginal or Torres
Strait Islander persons. Any estimates of Queensland's indigenous population before
1967 can not be accepted with accuracy. In 1901 Aboriginal persons were included for the
first time in the Queensland census. The official estimate of 6,670 Aboriginal persons
included only those who had been 'civilised'. As noted in a 1901 census report, the estimate
did
not by any means represent the total aboriginal population of Queensland, for it is estimated that,
in addition to those included in the Census enumeration, there are about 20,000 aborigines in
Queensland who maintain the habits peculiar to their race, and who were not enumerated.19
As a result of the 1967 Commonwealth referendum which removed discrimination against
Aboriginal persons, subsequent population figures and vital statistics have included them.
Between 1971 and 1996, the number of Aboriginal persons living in Queensland more than
tripled from 24,414 to 79,047 (table 3.8). Separate reporting of Torres Strait Islander persons
before 1967 was infrequent. The Torres Strait Islander population living in Queensland
increased from 7,508 in 1971 to 16,383 in 1996. The growth in population of Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander persons has been partly due to wider self-identification among indigenous
persons and better census enumeration techniques.
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