ABACUS, Vol. zyxwvutsrq .V. zyxwvuts No. zyxwvutsrqp -7. 1996 zyxwvutsrq RUSSELL CRAIG AND SARAH JENKINS Conjectures on Colonial Accounting History in Australia This article analyses three current conjectures regarding Australian accounting history between 1788 and 1817. All relate to double entry bookkeeping. First. that it was practised in Australia before 1817: second. that it was introduced to Australia by Lieutenant John Palmer. RN. in 1788: and third. that its teaching in Australia can be traced to the period 180446. Additional conjectures are proposed about the introduction of double entry bookkeeping to Australia and the identity of Australia's first double entry accountant. It is argued that the pioneering of double entry bookkeeping in the colony of New South Wales should not be located before 1810. zyxwvuts Key words: Accounting: Australia: Bookkeeping: Colonies: History. Description and analysis of early accounting history within Australia is incomplete.' The existing literature (e.g.. Goddard. 1938: Goldberg, 1956: McCredie. 1060: Parker 1982, 1990: and Gibson, 1986, 1988) principally examines the accounting history of colonial settlements from 1817-the year in which Australia's first bank, the Bank of New South Wales (Bank of NSW. now Westpac Bank) began operations. Some previous conclusions concerning financial accounts in Australia prior to 1817 appear to be based largely on 'reasonable presumption' and accordingly should not be elevated beyond the status of conjecture or supposition.? ' For those unfamiliar with Australian history. the first European colonial settlement in Australia was estahlished in 1788 at Sydney. The colony. known as New South Wales. was estahlished hy the British as a penal settlement and remained zyxwvut so for several decades. There is support for this contention from other authors. Parker (1990. 'Introduction'), refers to the 'supposition' underlying Gihson's ( 1988) conclusions regarding the existence of douhle entry accounting in the New South Wales Commissariat. RUSSELL. CRAIG is a Professor and SARAII JLNKINS is zyxwv ii Lecturer in the Department of Commerce, The Australian National University. We are indehted to Edward Burke. Margaret Steven. two anonymous referees and participants in research seminars at The Australian National Univcrsity and Deakin University for their comments on earlier drafts of this paper. We thank our research assistants John Black. James Bond. Christine Broad and Kal Stening for their sterling efforts. We are grateful. as well. for the support received from archivists and curators. especially John Booker of Lloyds Bank. London. Alan Cameron of the Bank of Scotland. Edinhurgh. and Byron Cranstonc of the Westpac Bank. Sydney. The usual disclaimer applies. 214