Input to the Coal Mining Industry (Price Index of)

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NAME OF ORGANISATION

Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)
OVERVIEW

The Input to the coal mining industry indexes measure changes in the prices paid for input to the (black) coal mining industry;
· open cut; and

          · underground mining

PURPOSE
The purpose of the Input to the coal mining industry indexes is to provide a measure of the changes in the prices paid for inputs to the (black) coal mining industry. The prices measured are the actual transaction prices, that is; the prices paid by (black) coal miners to suppliers for products delivered to mine sites.

The index is used extensively for domestic coal contracts and as an input to export contract deliberations. They are also used for benchmarking mining costs and as a sectoral measure of inflation in the inputs to the coal mining industry.

SCOPE
The price indexes of Input to the Coal Mining Industry,  measures the changes in the prices paid for input to the Coal mining industry; namely the two types of (black) coal mining:
          · open cut; and
          · underground mining.
The indexes measure changes in the prices paid for inputs to the ongoing mining process. That is, the removal of overburden, the extraction, washing and preparation and sorting of coal, and its transportation to the railhead.

DATA DETAIL
Conceptual framework
The price indexes of Input to the Coal Mining Industry measure changes in the prices paid for inputs used in (black) coal mining.
The indexes are:
        • a measure of pure price change (that is, they exclude the effects of any changes in quality and quantity)
        • a measure of changes in transaction prices (price actually paid, not the list or recommended price)
The valuation basis of the index is purchasers' prices and, as far as possible, the prices included in the indexes are for products delivered to the mine site or to the primary storage area for a group of mines.

Main outputs
Price Indexes of Materials Used in Coal Mining, Australia was previously located in ABS Cat. no. 6415.0.

Since June Quarter 2001; Materials Used in Coal Mining indexes have been located in the compendium publication of Producer Price Indexes, Australia (ABS Cat. no 6427.0)
From the September quarter 2012, the Materials Used in Coal Mining index has been renamed ‘Input to the Coal Mining Industry’.

Classifications
Currently items for pricing are selected in consultation with the mining industry.
Data is published as a percentage change and index number for the two series:
          · Open cut mining.
          · Underground mining.
The Input to the Coal mining indexes are to be combined into one time series and classified according to the Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC), 2006 edition under Group 060 Coal mining - Input to the Coal mining industry from the September quarter 2013.

Other concepts (summary)
All concepts have been noted in Conceptual Framework.

GEOGRAPHIC DETAIL
Other (specify below).

Comments and/or Other Regions
The Input to the Coal Mining Industry indexes – (Open cut mining and Underground mining) are largely restricted to (black) coal mining in New South Wales and Queensland. As a consequence the mining industry indexes, in practice, measures price changes for input to the coal mining industry in those States.

COLLECTION FREQUENCY
Quarterly

Frequency comments
Up to, and including, June 1997 collection was monthly. From that date collection is quarterly.

COLLECTION HISTORY
Price index series go back to the September quarter 1987.

DATA AVAILABILITY
Yes

Data availability comments
Data is currently available in catalogue number 6427.0, Producer Price Indexes, Australia and on the ABS web site <www.abs.gov.au>.