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SUMMARY OF FINDINGS

INTRODUCTION

This publication presents results, in respect of the 1999–2000 financial year, from an Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) census of employing organisations engaged in the operation of botanic gardens. The information relates to employing businesses and statutory authorities whose main activity was the operation of a botanic garden, herbarium or arboretum. In addition, botanic garden activities of Commonwealth and State government departments and local government authorities which employ staff to operate and maintain botanic gardens were included in the collection. However, non-employing organisations operating botanic gardens were excluded from the collection.

Size of Industry

At the end of June 2000, there were 72 employing organisations operating botanic gardens. These organisations operated 123 locations comprising 74 which were mainly botanic gardens, 24 which were arboreta and 25 which were herbaria. The increase from 53 employing organisations operating botanic gardens at the end of June 1997 was mainly due to the expansion in the number of local government authorities operating botanical gardens and some re-structuring of some of the organisations.

The operations of these organisations covered an area of 3,664 hectares, which comprised 3,050 hectares of botanic gardens and 614 hectares of arboreta.

Number of visits

It is estimated that during 1999-2000, there were 11.8 million visits to botanic gardens.

The estimation of the number of visits to botanic gardens was based on several different methods, with 66% of visits being estimated by the use of gate counters and the remainder by other methods such as periodic sample counts.

Sources of income

The total income of botanic gardens during 1999-2000 was $92 million. These organisations were very dependent on government funding (80% of all income) for their operations, but this dependence has decreased from 86% in 1996-97.

Expenses

During 1999-2000, botanic gardens had total expenses of $82 million.

Persons working

At the end of June 2000, there were 1,250 employees and 1,991 volunteers working for botanic gardens, resulting in a total workforce of 3,241 persons. At the end of June 1997, there were 1,129 employees and 1,493 volunteers.


1 KEY FIGURES

	1996-1997	1999-2000	Percentage change
Organisations at end June (no.)	53	72	36
Locations at end June
Botanic gardens (no.)	64	74	16
Arboreta (no.)	r19	24	26
Herbaria (no.)	20	25	25
Total (no.)	103	123	19
Hectares at end June
Botanic gardens (no.)	na	3,050	na
Arboreta (no.)	na	614	na
Total (no.)	na	3,664	na
Number of visits (m.)	na	11.8	na
Employees at end June (no.)	1,129	1,250	11
Volunteers during June (no.)	r1,493	1,991	33
Income
Government funding ($m)	70.9	73.4	4
Other income ($m)	11.8	18.4	56
Total ($m)	82.7	91.8	11
Expenses
Wages and salaries ($m)	40.7	44.0	8
Other expenses ($m)	29.5	37.5	27
Total ($m)	70.2	81.5	16

• all employing businesses and statutory authorities whose main activity was the operation of a botanic garden, herbarium or arboretum. These businesses and organisations were classified to ANZSIC Class 9231 (Zoological and Botanic Gardens); and
• botanic garden, herbarium and arboretum operations of Commonwealth and State government departments and local government authorities which employed staff to maintain these gardens.

• deficiencies in the register of units from which the census was taken;
• errors in the reporting of data by respondents;
• errors in the capturing or processing of data;
• estimation for missing or mis-reported data; and
• definition and classification errors.