Peter Scott

Abstract

It is not the purpose of this paper to report a largely unsuccessful application of world typology to Australia; rather is the purpose constructive. The paper there-fore examines selectively by reference to sample data on Australian rural holdings the variables used to define world types of commercial agriculture. On this basis the specified criteria are then modified to define Australian model types that are es-sentially Australian variants of the world types. At this stage the proposed typology should be regarded as provisional and macro-scale, for it will almost certainly undergo further modification as a result of an extended micro-scale analysis and the elaboration of subtypes. Moreover the criteria tentatively advanced to define the major types of Australian agriculture apply to only 85 per cent of the cases studied and only in respect of 85 per cent of the criteria. Further analysis should enable a revision of the criteria to have wider application.

Peter Scott, Department of Geography, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania