ABOUT THIS RELEASE
This publication is part of the Demography Working Paper series.
The population bases on which ABS population estimates and projections are prepared are Australia's quinquennial Censuses of Population and Housing. Preparation of postcensal estimates and projections have been based on component (administrative records) methods principally because of ready access to quality births, deaths and overseas migration data. Australia does not keep administrative records relating directly to interstate population migration. Over time, the ABS has used a number of indirect administrative data sources to estimate quarterly interstate migration.
The ABS has undertaken regular evaluations into the quality of their postcensal interstate migration estimates. Such evaluations have periodically involved assessing alternative administrative data sources and infrequently recommended that an existing data source be substituted because its coverage had deteriorated or a superior data source had been newly identified.
This report contains details about investigations into Medicare data and alternative administrative data sources. The research has focussed on identifying alternative data sources to Medicare for quarterly estimation of interstate migration from 1996 to 2001. However, some consideration has also been given to the potential of these data sources in relation to annual sub-state population estimation. In addition, a comparison of postcensal estimation techniques employed by the US Census Bureau, Statistics Canada, Statistics New Zealand and the Office for National Statistics (created from the former Office of Population Censuses and Surveys and the former Central Statistical Office) was also completed as part of this evaluation.
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