A NOTE FROM THE DIRECTOR
Welcome to the latest newsletter from the National Migrant Statistics Unit (NMSU).
As always the world of Migrant Statistics remains both an exciting and a challenging one! Migrant issues continue to have a high profile in the media and broader community, while associated policy continues to be redeveloped and refined. All of this keeps the ABS and others in the research community on our toes in terms of ensuring the data needed to inform public and policy debate are readily available and are of the highest possible quality, and that the necessary foundations are in place to ensure the ongoing development of the information and research base.
With the above in mind I am pleased to advise of the release of a new edition of Perspectives on Migrants (cat. no. 3416.0). This latest edition includes articles exploring migrants' job search experience and forms of employment. Further details are provided in this newsletter.
To ensure we continue to deliver data relevant to user needs we have recently commenced a review of our Migrant Data Matrices product (cat. no. 3415.0) - our one stop shop of migrant-related data on the ABS website. A key component of this involves focusing on the features and data series that users have found most useful to date and enhancing these in future editions. I encourage you to submit your own feedback as part of this process.
Visitors to the ABS website may also have noted the recent release of an ABS Information Paper outlining improved methods for estimating Net Overseas Migration (cat. no. 3412.0.55.001). This provides essential information for all users of ABS migration data around new methodology and concepts, as well as outlining the timing of associated future data releases.
In addition to providing further details on the above and other projects, this newsletter also briefly outlines where we see ourselves more broadly in terms of our role and key future directions. This reflects our growing focus on administrative data and utilising this and existing information in new and interesting ways. At the same time, as indicated by my earlier comments on the Matrices review, we will continue to look for better ways to deliver current and new data. Stay tuned for further details of specific projects building on these themes.
Finally, if you haven't done so already I encourage you to consider nominating for the NatStats 2010 Conference, to be held in Sydney in September. The Conference will build on the success of the first NatStats conference held in 2008, with Dr Ken Henry, Secretary to the Treasury, recently announced as a keynote speaker. A detailed agenda focusing on the conference theme "Measuring what counts: economic development, wellbeing and progress in 21st century Australia" has been developed.
If you are interested in receiving further details about our work, we would be pleased to hear from you. NMSU contact details are listed in the Newsletter. In the meantime - happy reading!
Andrew Middleton
Director
Culture, Recreation and Migrant Statistics
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