A View From The Top
From the Regional Director
This issue of Stats Talk demonstrates the planning power of robust statistics. As we potentially enter another phase of the mining boom in WA, critical questions are being asked about what the impact of the boom might be.
Who will make up the labour force in the Pilbara? Will they be fly in, fly out workers? What will the flow on impact be on the labour force in Perth and other regional centres? These are only some of the questions that rapid change in the demography of this State create.
We can only hope to answer those questions with strong evidence about the labour force base and community that we are working with. The ABS provides data and information on a number of these issues, such as the invaluable information we garner from the Census, the monthly labour force survey, the Consumer, Labour and House Price Indexes, Average Weekly Earnings, and WA specific surveys.
While ABS statistics are invaluable, they are still only a part of a National Statistical Service that gives access to a range of data sources across Government and the private sector.
The ABS in WA is working hard to continue to develop the National Statistical Service in this State. Our partnership with the Pilbara Development Commission on the Spotlight on the Pilbara shows how access to a range of data sources can bring a more complete picture. We are currently working with the Department of Regional Development and Lands and Development Commissions to build a statistical picture of the whole of regional WA.
Michael Tindall,
Government Statistician and
ABS Regional Director,
Western Australia
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