4160.0.55.001 - Frameworks for Australian Social Statistics, Jun 2015  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 24/06/2015  First Issue
   Page tools: Print Print Page Print all pages in this productPrint All

WHY REVIEW MEASURING WELLBEING: FRAMEWORKS FOR AUSTRALIAN SOCIAL STATISTICS?

In 2001, the ABS released Measuring Wellbeing: Frameworks for Australian Social Statistics, 2001 (cat. no. 4160.0) as a key tool for the organisation of Australian social statistics. It described the overall system of social statistics at the time for population and eight broad areas of social concern e.g. Family and community, Health, Education and training.

For each area, it contained descriptions of:

  • key definitions, scope and content
  • key social issues and population groups of interest
  • measurement tools used to organise the collection, processing and dissemination of Australian social statistics content
  • an overview of key data sources.

Measuring Wellbeing has been used as the organising framework for ABS social statistics since its publication in 2001. However the social statistics landscape in Australia has changed over this period:
  • there is strong interest in the use of administrative data, linked data and microdata modelling
  • the Essential Statistics for Australia project identified key statistics for decision making and reporting purposes
  • a national consultation led by the ABS in 2011-12 for Measures of Australia's Progress (MAP) highlighted areas Australians believe are the most important for societal progress in Australia
  • international interest in broader measures of progress (including a Rio+20 mandate) and international work towards the adoption of a set of Post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals has resulted in a great deal of discussion about the nature of social statistics.

In light of this, the ABS has reviewed the underlying concepts and frameworks which together formed Measuring Wellbeing: Frameworks for Australian Social Statistics. The ABS undertook to develop both a conceptual and a statistical framework for Australian social statistics (not just ABS statistics) with the aim of supporting a comprehensive picture of wellbeing in Australia and the delivery of social statistics to inform policies and programs.

This is the initial release of Frameworks for Australian Social Statistics, presenting an overview of the conceptual and statistical frameworks. Additional information will be released progressively throughout 2015-16.