What socio-economic differences are there between the Aboriginal population as a group and the remainder of Australian society? While most people in Australia could probably give some suggestion as to these differences, it is unlikely that there is any simple source to which someone interested in the question could turn to find a reasonable summary of the information necessary to make a useful comment. In this chapter, therefore, a synthesis is given of the available material on various aggregate socio-economic indicators. These assist a comparison of the standard of living of Aborigines as a group with that of the rest of the Australian population.

For this synthesis, it is not ‘primary’ material that has been collected: only the available ‘secondary’ information has been drawn together; and Aborigines as a general, internally undifferentiated group are discussed. In this grouping, the analysis is based upon an examination of the aggregate ‘Aboriginal population’ of Australia as at present ‘officially’ defined.