DATA SOURCES

The experimental estimates in this release were produced using a combination of business data sourced from WorkSafe Victoria and Comcare as well as data from the Employee Earnings, Benefits and Trade Union Membership (EEBTUM cat. no. 6310.0) survey and the Australian Bureau of Statistics Business Register (ABSBR).

WORKSAFE

The WorkSafe data set is maintained by the WorkSafe Victoria, through their registration of workers compensation insurance. The WorkSafe data set provided ABS with information for Victorian workplaces which pay more than $7,500 a year in rateable remuneration, or which employ apprentices or trainees. The data is collected through an insurance policy form submitted by employers to WorkSafe Victoria and is updated on an ongoing basis.

It is possible that there are employers eligible for WorkSafe insurance who have not registered with WorkSafe Victoria. However, the extent of these exclusions is not known.

Self-Insurers

The Self-Insurer data set provided ABS with information about Victorian self-insuring workplaces. A Self-Insurer is an employer approved by WorkSafe Victoria to manage its own workers' compensation claims and to have full responsibility for meeting its claims liabilities.

There are two main eligibility requirements to be a Self-Insurer:

• The business must be a body corporate, and not a subsidiary of another body corporate;
• The business must satisfy minimum requirements regarding financial strength and viability and demonstrate that it is capable of meeting its claims liabilities.

COMCARE

Commonwealth employers and Commonwealth government trading enterprises operating in Victoria are insured through Comcare rather than WorkSafe Victoria. The Comcare scheme provides rehabilitation and workers' compensation for Australian Government employees and the employees of businesses which self-insure under the Comcare scheme. These businesses generally comprise Commonwealth departments, and businesses that tendered for work in competition with government departments or government business enterprises. Given the economic impact of these businesses on the Victorian economy, ABS attempted to expand the scope of the experimental estimates by including these businesses in the estimates for the 2010-11 reference period.

The data items held by Comcare are quite different from the data items provided to ABS by WorkSafe Victoria. In order to include the Comcare data in the 2010-11 financial year experimental estimates, the ABS developed a separate estimation method involving linking information from other sources (including the ABS business register).


ABS BUSINESS REGISTER

The ABS maintains a register of businesses and other organisations (government departments, non-profit organisations etc.) operating in Australia (referred to as the ABS Business Register) which is the source of population frames for most ABS surveys of businesses. The source of information for the majority of businesses on the ABS Business Register is the Australian Business Register (ABR), which is maintained by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO).

The ABR contains details of businesses and other organisations which have registered for and received an Australian Business Number (ABN) from the ATO. To register for an ABN, an applicant must be either a company or an entity carrying on an enterprise.

The ABS Business Register includes most businesses with an ABN on the ABR. To be included on the ABS Business Register businesses must have an ABN and be registered with the ATO for at least one type of tax obligation.

The ABSBR data was used in the experimental estimates to supplement the business data obtained from administrative sources.

EMPLOYEE EARNINGS, BENEFITS AND TRADE UNION MEMBERSHIP

The Employee Earnings, Benefits and Trade Union Membership survey (EEBTUM cat. no. 6310.0) is conducted throughout Australia annually as a supplement to the ABS monthly Labour Force Survey (LFS). Questions are asked of all employees in their main job except for those who worked solely for payment in kind in their main job.

EEBTUM presents information about the distribution of weekly earnings of employees, their entitlement to core employment benefits such as paid leave, superannuation contributions made by employers on behalf of employees, and trade union membership. This information can be cross-classified by a range of personal characteristics such as age, sex and country of birth, and by characteristics of employment such as full-time or part-time status, industry and occupation of main job.

GENERAL ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

ABS publications draw extensively on information provided freely by individuals, businesses, governments and other organisations. Their continued cooperation is very much appreciated; without it, the wide range of statistics published by the ABS would not be available. Information received by the ABS is treated in strict confidence as required by the Census and Statistics Act 1905.

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