The expanded and revised edition of State of the Nation: Indicators of a Changing Australia 1999 is a comprehensive guide to the trends and changes in Australian life over the past century.
It includes the most recent data and analysis available on topics as diverse as religion, marriage/divorce, family structure, health care, education, crime and justice, taxation and employment.
Some findings include:
- Violent crime more than tripled between 1993 and 1997
- Opioid (heroin and methodone) fatal overdoses have increased almost seven fold in the past two decades
- The number of hospital beds available decreased by 20% between 1988 and 1997, while the admission rate rose by 35%
- Australians have up to twice as much leisure time in 1997 than in 1992
- The Year 12 retention rate in state schools decreased from 74% in 1993 to 66% in 1997
- Approximately 70% of Australians regard themselves as Christians
- Australia now has one of the lowest gender earning gaps in the world
- In 1998, the maximum marginal tax bracket was 1.4 times the average weekly wage compared to 20 times in 1950, thus reducing incentives for additional work or effort.
