Historical Context To The Inclusion of The Census Power
See also: Census in AustraliaThe first version of the Constitution included a census power. Its inclusion was not controversial. It can be seen as a class of 'nationhood powers' which reflected basic powers that a 'nation' was viewed with possessing (similar nationhood powers would include the currency power, the weights and measures power, and the postal power).
Australian colonies had collected statistics from settlement. The first simultaneous census was held across Australia in 1881 as part of the Census of the British Empire.
In December 1905 the Commonwealth Government passed The Census and Statistics Act 1905. The first Commonwealth Census after federation was held in 1911 (although a simultaneous state census was held in 1901).
The Australian Bureau of Statistics is the Commonwealth Agency responsible for census and statistics.
Read more about this topic: Section 51(xi) Of The Australian Constitution
Famous quotes containing the words historical, context, inclusion and/or power:
“What is the historical function of Parliament in this country? It is to prevent the Government from governing.”
—George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950)
“Parents are led to believe that they must be consistent, that is, always respond to the same issue the same way. Consistency is good up to a point but your child also needs to understand context and subtlety . . . much of adult life is governed by context: what is appropriate in one setting is not appropriate in another; the way something is said may be more important than what is said. . . .”
—Stanley I. Greenspan (20th century)
“Belonging to a group can provide the child with a variety of resources that an individual friendship often cannot—a sense of collective participation, experience with organizational roles, and group support in the enterprise of growing up. Groups also pose for the child some of the most acute problems of social life—of inclusion and exclusion, conformity and independence.”
—Zick Rubin (20th century)
“Racism is when you have laws set up, systematically put in a way to keep people from advancing, to stop the advancement of a people. Black people have never had the power to enforce racism, and so this is something that white America is going to have to work out themselves. If they decide they want to stop it, curtail it, or to do the right thing ... then it will be done, but not until then.”
—Spike Lee (b. 1956)