PREFACE
In order to ensure the Consumer Price Index (CPI) continues to meet community needs, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has regularly reviewed it since it was first compiled in 1960. These reviews update item weights and provide an opportunity to reassess the scope and coverage of the index and other methodological issues.
The issues to be considered in the review of the 13th series CPI were set out in Information Paper: Issues to be Considered During the 13th Series Australian Consumer Price Index Review (Cat. no. 6451.0) released on 9 May, 1997. Following release of the paper, there was extensive public consultation and a CPI Review Advisory Group, which represented a range of important users of the index, provided advice. I would like to thank all members of the public who put in submissions, and all the members of the Advisory Group who gave their time freely to help with this exercise. This paper represents a response to the information paper.
Decisions about changing any aspect of the CPI are generally extremely important and often most difficult to make. The decisions which have been taken represent an on-balance view of what sort of CPI is best suited to meet the varying requirements of the broader Australian community now and into the next century.
The 13th series CPI will be introduced in the September quarter 1998 and will be linked to the 12th series CPI at the June quarter 1998. A further information paper will be released about one month before the introduction of the 13th series CPI providing details of the new index, including the weighting pattern that will be adopted.
Readers wishing to obtain further information about the matters covered in this information paper should contact:
Mr Keith Woolford
Director
Prices Development Section
Australian Bureau of Statistics
PO Box 10
BELCONNEN ACT 2616
Telephone: (02) 6252 6673
Facsimile: (02) 6252 8555
W. McLennan
Australian Statistician
