APPENDIX 4 ESTIMATING OVERSEAS ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE MOVEMENTS


INTRODUCTION

A4.1 Overseas Arrivals and Departures (OAD) data provides information on all recorded movements across Australia's borders, both in-bound and out-bound, by category of movement and numerous other variables. These variables are listed in each issue of Overseas Arrivals and Departures, Australia (cat. no. 3401.0). The three main categories of movement are:

• permanent movements
• long-term movements (one year or more)
• short-term movements (less than on year).

A4.2 This information is used as inputs into international tourism, net overseas migration (NOM) and through NOM into the estimated resident population (ERP) of Australia and its states and territories.

A4.3 Geographically, OAD data is available at the Australia and state and territory levels. For all arrivals, state and territory data is based on the state or territory of intended address.

A4.4 The OAD statistics relate to the number of movements of travellers rather than the number of persons travelling. Therefore, the multiple movements of individual persons during a given reference period are all counted. While all overseas movements into and out of Australia are documented as part of Department of Immigration and Citizenship's (DIAC's) border control purposes, OAD statistics exclude:

• movements of operational air crew and ships' crew
• transit passengers who pass through Australia but are not cleared for entry
• passengers on pleasure cruises commencing and finishing in Australia aboard ships
• persons attempting to enter Australia, whether by air or sea, without going through official immigration procedures (i.e. unauthorised arrivals).

ESTIMATION

A4.5 The OAD statistics are derived from a combination of full enumeration and sampling. All permanent movements and all movements with a duration of stay of one year or more are fully enumerated. The number of movements where the duration of stay is less than one year are also fully enumerated, however the characteristics are sampled. Statistics relating to these movements are therefore estimates which may differ from statistics which would have been obtained if details of all other movements had been processed. Sample standard errors are provided in each issue of Overseas Arrivals and Departures, Australia (cat. no. 3401.0).

A4.6 In January 1997, variable sample skips were introduced in the selection of OAD records to be sampled. Over a year about 3.5% of all short-term movements were selected for sampling. However, for operational reasons variable skips across months were ceased from August 2000. From January 2005, 4.9% of all short-term movements have been sampled. The skip values correspond to the lowest skip value (i.e. highest sample selected) for each country from a sample design including individual months and direction of travel as sub-categories.