FEATURE ABS RELEASES

Forward Work Program, 2008-09
Information Paper: Outcome from The Review of the Australian Standard Geographical Classification, 2008
Statistical Language!, 2008
National Regional Profile, 2002-2006
Australian Census Analytic Program: Counting the Homeless, 2006
The demise of ANZSPC as the Australian statistical standard for products

Forward Work Program, 2008-09 (cat. no. 1006.0)

This ABS Forward Work Program (FWP) is produced annually and is one of the suite of ABS corporate publications. The FWP provides background information about statistical and non-statistical programs across the ABS, their objectives and the outputs they produce. It includes information on past and current resource usage, and details developments in the work program for each of the statistical and non-statistical programs over the next three years.

Information Paper: Outcome from The Review of the Australian Standard Geographical Classification, 2008 (First Issue) (cat. no. 1216.0.55.002)

The Australian Standard Geographical Classification (ASGC) is used for the collection and dissemination of geographically classified statistics. The ABS intends to replace the current ASGC with the new Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) through an implementation strategy commencing in 2011. This publication is the second of two information papers designed to explain the ASGS and the implication of the move away from the ASGC. It addresses the main concerns of stakeholders regarding the ASGS and summarises the strategy for its introduction. Specific information is available on the current ASGC and the proposed ASGS respectively in the following ABS publications: Statistical Geography Volume 1 - Australian Standard Geographical Classification (ASGC), July 2006 (cat. no. 1216.0) and The Review of the Australian Standard Geographical Classification (cat. no. 1216.0.55.001).

Statistical Language!, 2008 (First Issue) (cat. no. 1332.0.55.002)

Statistical Language! is an educational resource from the ABS designed to improve the reader's understanding of some fundamental statistical concepts. It is written in plain English for adults and aims to provide the basic statistical literacy skills to: - understand key statistical terminology - facilitate access to the expanding level of statistical information presented to the public - gain confidence with interpreting summarised information - appreciate the importance of statistical information in today's society - make critical and informed use of data, whatever its source. All these goals are at the heart of the ABS mission to assist informed decision-making in the Australian community. Along with simple descriptions, this e-Magazine contains examples and diagrams to help users establish a basic understanding of the key statistical topics covered.

National Regional Profile, 2002-2006 (cat. no. 1379.0.55.001)

The fourth edition of the National Regional Profile (NRP) was released on 28 July. The NRP provides a brief statistical summary of key economic and social information for various levels of the Australian Standard Geographic Classification (ASGC), including Statistical Local Areas (SLAs) and Local Government Areas (LGAs), making the NRP a useful tool and valuable resource for users of small area data. Data in the NRP spans the years 2002 to 2006, where available, with data based on the geographical boundaries described in the 2006 edition of the ASGC.

Data are provided in the NRP from a variety of ABS and non-ABS sources covering: population characteristics, births and deaths, unemployment, taxable income, wage and salary earners, building approvals and motor vehicle sales etc., enabling users to obtain a snapshot of selected characteristics of a local area or to compare the same characteristics across areas. Some of the data in the NRP is not available anywhere else on the ABS website in the same level of detail. Additional data for South Australia from non-ABS sources include: property sales and property valuations.

This release of the NRP contains a number of improvements on the previous edition including a new NRP Welcome Page to assist users in navigating through the product and locating data, 'Help' information including a frequently asked questions guide and improved mapping including the introduction of Local Government Area maps in this edition. Another new Help feature is a series of videos showing how to use the NRP. These can be found from the NRP Video Demonstration link on the Welcome Page.

We are interested in your feedback on the NRP. When using the NRP please take a few minutes to fill in the Feedback form available from the menu bar on the Welcome Page. Your responses will contribute to improving products and services in the future.

For further information on the National Regional Profile please email: regional.statistics@abs.gov.au. Australian Census Analytic Program: Counting the Homeless, 2006 (cat. no. 2050.0)

This release explores the extent of homelessness in Australia at the time of the 2006 Census, using Census data complemented by data from other surveys of youth homelessness and users of support services. It also provides information on the change in the size and composition of the homeless population over time, and draws on earlier research using 1996 and 2001 Census data.

Some of the main findings include:

• The number of homeless people counted on Census night increased from 99,900 people in 2001 to 104,676 people in 2006.
• Most of the increase was recorded in people staying in Supported Accommodation Assistance Program (SAAP), which increased by 39% between 2001 and 2006.
• There has been no change in the Australia wide rate of homelessness (53 per 10,000 people), while the rate of homelessness in South Australia increased slightly from 52 per 10,000 people in 2001 to 53 per 10,000 people in 2006.
• There was a shift in the types of households represented in the homeless population, with slightly fewer singles and more couples and families.
• The number of homeless people aged 12 to 18 decreased from 26,060 people in 2001 to 21,940 people in 2006.
• The proportion of homeless people who were female increased from 42% in 2001 to 44% in 2006.

The demise of ANZSPC as the Australian statistical standard for products

The ABS is decommissioning the Australian and New Zealand Standard Product Classification (ANZSPC) as the Australian statistical standard for products. ANZSPC was produced in 2001 as a collaboration between the ABS and Statistics New Zealand. On its release, ANZSPC became the statistical standard for the collection and presentation of product statistics in both countries. However, the recent review of product classifications, focusing on the use of ANZSPC within the ABS, found that:

• ANZSPC has not been adopted widely within the ABS, rather a range of collection specific classifications have been developed;
• a range of product classifications are required to account for different conceptual bases such as industry of origin, end use and material composition; and
• ANZSPC is no longer internationally comparable given the impending release of Central Product Classification (CPC) V2.0.

Furthermore, consultation with Statistics New Zealand revealed that the adoption of ANZSPC throughout New Zealand has also been nominal, therefore decommissioning the ANZSPC is seen as a logical and practical approach by Statistics New Zealand.

The ABS plans to adopt the international CPC V2.0 as the overarching framework for product classifications, that is, product classifications used within the ABS will concord with CPC V2.0 to at least 3 digit level. The CPC is a multipurpose classification covering all goods and services and recent developments to increase the level of detail and comparability with other international standards has positioned it well to replace ANZSPC. For more information contact Celia Quiatchon on (02) 6252 5604 or email: c.quiatchon@abs.gov.au.