The Australian postal service
The Australian postal service
In the 1950s, Australia's postal needs were serviced by the PMG (Post Master General). The PMG was responsible for telegraph and home telephone operations, as well as postal services.
In 1954, the PMG began offering the Teleprinter Exchange, or Telex, to the public. The telex was an electric typewriter that delivered typed messages along telegraph lines. This new technology was a great convenience, especially to businesses which no longer had to rely on the slower, more expensive telegram system.
Telephone calls
Subscriber trunk dialling (STD) was introduced in the mid-1960s, allowing people to directly dial long-distance areas. This replaced the previous system whereby the phone user would dial the operator, who would then place the call.
Television 1950s - 1960s
In 1956, television brought the moving picture into people's homes. The uptake of television was enthusiastic and by the end of the decade it was estimated that over two-thirds of families in Sydney and Melbourne owned a television set. Over the next five years, television had spread to most other States.
Watch the video on the Television Television transformed the way Australians received information. It soon became Australia's dominant form of mass communication, taking over from radio and cinema and posing a challenge to print media.
Television transmitted ideas into Australia faster than ever before. Australia's awareness and experience of the rest of the world changed rapidly. Television exposed people to other cultures and world views and provided information that would play a major role in shaping popular public opinion.
By the mid-1960s, television had truly taken hold as the most popular form of communication. Television was available in all but the most remote areas of Australia and it was estimated that by 1965, nine in ten Australian families owned a television set.
Satellites and telecommunications - 1960s
In the 1960s, global communication was
In the 1950s, Australia's postal needs were serviced by the PMG (Post Master General). The PMG was responsible for telegraph and home telephone operations, as well as postal services.
In 1954, the PMG began offering the Teleprinter Exchange, or Telex, to the public. The telex was an electric typewriter that delivered typed messages along telegraph lines. This new technology was a great convenience, especially to businesses which no longer had to rely on the slower, more expensive telegram system.
Telephone calls
Subscriber trunk dialling (STD) was introduced in the mid-1960s, allowing people to directly dial long-distance areas. This replaced the previous system whereby the phone user would dial the operator, who would then place the call.
Television 1950s - 1960s
In 1956, television brought the moving picture into people's homes. The uptake of television was enthusiastic and by the end of the decade it was estimated that over two-thirds of families in Sydney and Melbourne owned a television set. Over the next five years, television had spread to most other States.
Watch the video on the Television Television transformed the way Australians received information. It soon became Australia's dominant form of mass communication, taking over from radio and cinema and posing a challenge to print media.
Television transmitted ideas into Australia faster than ever before. Australia's awareness and experience of the rest of the world changed rapidly. Television exposed people to other cultures and world views and provided information that would play a major role in shaping popular public opinion.
By the mid-1960s, television had truly taken hold as the most popular form of communication. Television was available in all but the most remote areas of Australia and it was estimated that by 1965, nine in ten Australian families owned a television set.
Satellites and telecommunications - 1960s
In the 1960s, global communication was