1300.1 - New South Wales Year Book, 1999  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 03/03/1999   
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MEDIA RELEASE

March 03, 1999
Embargoed: 11:30 AM (AEST)
27/1999

ABS releases New South Wales Year Book 1999

The Australian Bureau of Statistics today released the 79th edition of the New South Wales Year Book, containing a comprehensive and detailed statistical review of all aspects of the State's government, environment, economy and social conditions. A full range of data collected by the ABS is supplemented with information from over 50 NSW Government departments and authorities.

Additional features include an historical timeline with details of major events in NSW since 1788 and selected historical statistics back to 1901. An entirely new section on People and the Environment has been added this year and there is a special article which looks at significant trends in the labour market over recent years, such as the growth in part-time casual and temporary employment.

The 1999 New South Wales Year Book is an easy-to-use reference tool with more than 350 pages of information in the form of text, tables, graphs and colour maps. Over the years, it has proven to be an excellent resource for business, school and home as well as a useful source of stories for media. The chapters cover topics such as government; geography and climate; births, deaths, marriages and divorces; social and welfare; health; law and order; transport and communication; industry, and more.

Some facts in brief from the New South Wales Year Book
  • The total number of people arriving in NSW from overseas exceeded 3 million for the first time.
  • In 1998 more than one third of households in NSW frequently used a home computer.
  • There were 180,809 kilometres of public roads in New South Wales at 30 June 1998.
  • The largest number of permanent overseas settlers in 1996-97 came from China (including Hong Kong).
  • The number of people killed on NSW roads in 1997 (576) was the lowest since 1949 (535).
  • The marriage rate of 5.8 marriages per 1,000 population is now lower than in the Great Depression in 1931.
  • Between 1991 and 1997, people in part-time, casual or temporary employment rose from 455,000 to 685,000.
  • In 1997-98, the value of all building jobs in the state was the highest ever recorded at $13.3 billion.
As with most ABS publications, copies of the Year Book are available in public libraries in all metropolitan and regional areas of New South Wales. Copies are available for purchase ($44.00) from the ABS Bookshop, Level 5, St Andrews House, cnr Kent and Bathurst Sts, Sydney, or order by phone on (02) 9268 4620. Members of the media who require a review copy please contact Ian Krakouer on (02) 9268 4635.