Growth in cultural centres and theatres

It is not always possible to have up-to-date or current data for statistical purposes. Some Australian Bureau of Statistics surveys are conducted on a regular basis: monthly, annually or every few years. Other major data collections such as the Census of Population and Housing are of a great scale and are only conducted every five years.

Other statistical analyses, such as the Australia Council’s The Arts Economy 1968–1998: Three Decades of Growth in Australia (Guldberg 2000) are major one-off studies that are so far-ranging, they can only be commissioned on a periodic basis. Although at first glance it may appear dated, this analysis gives an important historic perspective on the current state of the arts in Australia.

According to The Arts Economy, there was a 158 per cent increase in total seating capacity in Australian cultural centres between 1968 and 1978.

The vast majority of this growth occurred in Australia’s capital cities. The growth in the number of seats in country areas increased by only 58 per cent in this period.

Between 1978 and 1988, total seating capacity almost doubled, with an increase of 96 per cent to over 80,000 seats.

However, unlike the previous decade, the greatest growth was in country areas, with 151 per cent, compared to only 70 per cent growth for capital cities.