1301.6.55.001 - Statistical News Tasmania (Newsletter), Dec 2004  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 21/12/2004   
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ABS SERVICES AVAILABLE AT THE HOBART OFFICE
NEW REGIONAL DIRECTOR FOR ABS TASMANIA
TASMANIAN ROLE IN OECD FORUM
CENSUS 2006
ANZSIC 2006
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
LABOUR PRICE INDEX
SELECTED RECENT RELEASES
FUTURE RELEASES

ABS SERVICES AVAILABLE AT THE HOBART OFFICE

Client Services


When you need to engage professional, timely and objective statistical consultancy services, first consider the range of services available from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The ABS Hobart Office has a team of consultants available to answer all your information and statistical enquiries on a fee for service basis. Our consultants can assist you with provision of data for the most recent period available or on a time series basis. They can provide tailored reports containing tables, commentary and maps which highlight the characteristics of a target market. To discuss your information needs contact the
ABS Client Services or email mary.eagle@abs.gov.au.

NEW REGIONAL DIRECTOR FOR ABS TASMANIA

At the end of November Dick Crockett commenced as Regional Director of the ABS in Tasmania. Dick, most recently, was responsible for the Information Services Branch in Canberra and was previously Regional Director for Queensland and prior to that Victoria. Dick replaces Steve Matheson, who had been Regional Director of the Tasmanian office since 1999. Steve is looking forward to new challenges as he takes over responsibility for the Information Services Branch in Canberra.
TASMANIAN ROLE IN OECD FORUM

Tasmanian ABS Officer Chris Carswell recently attended the Statistics, Knowledge and Policy World Forum on Key Indicators in Palermo, Sicily. The forum was sponsored by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and addressed how we assess our economies and societies.

Chris co-authored the paper Collaborating with Civil Society: Reflections from Australia. An important component of the paper is the role of civil society in the development of Tasmania Together. All papers from the conference can be accessed via the OECD website.

Chris also travelled to the UK to meet with the Office of National Statistics (ONS) to discuss their Regional and Local Statistics program Neighbourhood Statistics and also to meet with the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to discuss the UK's Regional Quality of Life Counts - 2003. Another highlight was a meeting with Michael Williams, the co-author of the Review of Statistics for Economic Policymaking.

After the UK, Chris travelled to the province of Newfoundland and Labrador in Canada, where he participated in a Round Table Information Exchange with regional planners from the Rural Secretariat plus representatives from other Canadian government agencies. The Round Table themes of rural sustainability, strategic social planning and community consultation feature in the strategic social plan From the Ground Up. Finally, Chris travelled to Portland in the USA to meet with the Oregon Progress Board. The major themes of the meeting were population surveys, benchmark management in strategic planning and data management.

For further information on Chris's overseas visits phone (03) 6222 5848 or email chris.carswell@abs.gov.au.

CENSUS 2006

It might be over a year and a half away, but detailed planning for the 2006 Census is well underway

The next Australian Census of Population and Housing is expected to be conducted on 8 August 2006. The objective of the census is to accurately measure the number of people and dwellings in Australia on census night and a range of their key characteristics. Details about the 2006 census content, collection operations, privacy protection, confidentiality, processing and evaluation activities will be contained in 2006 Census of Population and Housing: Nature and Content (cat. no. 2008.0) to be released early next year.

2006 Census outputs

Planning for the way in which data is to be released is also in train. The ABS recently released the paper Census of Population and Housing: ABS Views on Census Output Strategy (cat.no. 2009.0). The aims of the paper are to inform census users of the proposed ABS strategies for census products and services, and to seek their views on them.

More use of the Internet, with more products and data available

With the development of technology, in particular the Internet, and the growing sophistication of the user community, the ABS intends to recast its range of products and services for the 2006 census. Most electronic products (including CData 2006) will only be available via the Internet. A range of new Internet based products will be developed which will make it easier for users of varying levels of sophistication to get the data they need. The range of census hardcopy publications will be reduced. The range of data that will be made available as standard census output will be expanded. It is proposed that all of the profile tables that were released for 2001 census will be made available again in 2006.

We want to know what you think

The Census of Population and Housing: ABS Views on Census Output Strategy (cat.no. 2009.0) paper details some key 2006 strategies, pricing, data product range, some specific data issues and provides an indicative release timetable. You can let us know what you think by either completing and submitting the questionnaire online or by completing returning it by mail.
ANZSIC 2006

The Information Paper: ANZSIC 2006 Development (cat. no. 1294.0) was released in September and is available without charge from the ABS web site. The paper presents information on the development of a new standard classification of industrial activity, ANZSIC 2006, including:
  • an overview of the history of ANZSIC
  • the rationale for the review
  • the conceptual basis of the new classification
  • the new division structure and the impact of the changes on ABS data
  • a brief outline of the strategy the ABS will adopt in implementing the new classification
  • a list of ANZSIC 2006 products, which will be released in June 2006.

    For more information contact Branko Vitas on (02) 6252 5604 or email branko.vitas@abs.gov.au.


    LOCAL GOVERNMENT

    The ABS publishes a quarterly newsletter Local Government and ABS to help the local government sector use statistics to assist with planning and other community servicing decisions.

    Issue 8, December 2004 includes:
  • Recent analysis of women's employment in urban, rural and regional Australia
  • Improvements in regional labour force data
  • Proposed output strategy for the 2006 Census of Population and Housing
  • Do you need help with designing or conducting a collection or using statistical products?
  • What's happening in Local Government Finance?

    For further information on local government and ABS, or if you have any questions or comments about how the ABS can assist local government, please contact Rex Porter by phone on (08) 8237 7416 or by email rex.porter@abs.gov.au.

    LABOUR PRICE INDEX

    The Information Paper: Labour Price Index, Australia 2004, Electronic delivery (cat. no. 6363.0) outlines changes made to the publication Wage Cost Index, Australia (cat. no. 6345.0), which has been released under the new title Labour Price Index, Australia. The paper provides a brief description of the new indexes included in the publication.
  • The new title Labour Price Index, Australia (cat. no. 6345.0) identifies the publication as one of the price indexes produced by the ABS and also reflects the inclusion of new price indexes: non-wage and labour price indexes.
  • The wage cost indexes series is now known as wage price indexes.
  • All index numbers have been released on a new reference base of 2003-04; that is, the numbers in each index series have been reset to equal 100.0 for the financial year 2003-04.
  • New price indexes covering selected non-wage costs have been included in respect of annual and public holiday leave, superannuation, payroll tax, and workers' compensation. In addition, two labour price indexes have been constructed (one including bonuses and one excluding bonuses) from the wage and non-wage components. The new indexes will be published in November each year as part of the September quarter Labour Price Index, Australia (cat. no. 6345.0).

    More detailed information is also available in Labour Price Index: Concepts, Sources and Methods, Australia (cat. no. 6351.0.55.001).
    SELECTED RECENT RELEASES

    3101.0
    Australian Demographic Statistics, June quarter, 2004 (released 08/12/2004) This quarterly publication contains the most recent estimates of the resident populations of Australia and the states and territories based on the results of the Census of Population and Housing held on 7 August 2001. The publication also contains estimates of the number of households by household size as well as the latest available statistics of births, deaths and overseas and interstate migration.

    3306.0.55.001
    Marriages, Australia, 2003 (released 08/12/2004) This electronic product provides information on marriages registered in Australia. Includes key indicators of marriages at the national and state level.

    4512.0 Corrective Services, Australia, September quarter, 2004 (released 01/12/2004) Presents information on persons in custody and community-based corrections. The statistics are derived from information provided to the ABS from administrative records held by corrective services agencies in each state and territory, and from the Australian Government Attorney-General's Department for details on federal prisoners. Details are provided for each state and territory on numbers and imprisonment rates by type of custody. Information is also presented on prisoner numbers by legal status and by sentence type.

    5206.0 Australian National Accounts: National Income, Expenditure and Product, September quarter, 2004 (released 01/12/2004) Contains estimates of gross domestic product and its components, components of state final demand, the national income account, the national capital account and supporting series. Quarterly estimates are provided for the latest nine quarters. The state estimates generally represent dissections of quarterly estimates published for Australia in this publication.

    5609.0
    Housing Finance, Australia, October 2004 (released 08/12/2004) Provides statistics of housing finance commitments made by significant lenders. This includes secured finance commitments for the construction or purchase of owner occupied dwellings and finance commitments for the construction or purchase of dwellings for rent or resale (investment housing).

    6305.0.55.001 Employee Earnings and Hours, Australia, Preliminary, May 2004 (released 08/12/2004) This electronic product contains preliminary statistics on average weekly earnings of employees. Also includes preliminary estimates of the proportion of employees whose pay is set by award only, collective agreement and individual arrangement. Final estimates will be published in Employee Earnings and Hours, Australia, May 2004 (cat. no. 6306.0), expected to be released in March 2005.

    6227.0
    Education and Work, Australia, May 2004 (released 02/12/2004) Presents information about the educational experience of persons aged 15-64 years, especially in relation to their labour force status. Includes participation in education in previous year, and in survey month; labour force characteristics; type of educational institution; level of education of current and previous study; highest year of school completed; level of highest non-school qualification; level of highest educational attainment; unmet demand for education in current year; and characteristics of apprentices.

    6416.0
    House Price Indexes: Eight Capital Cities, September quarter, 2004 (released 02/12/2004) Provides estimates of changes in house prices for each of the eight capital cities of Australia. The information is presented in the form of price indexes constructed separately for established houses and for project homes. It is calculated on the reference base1989-90 = 100.0 for the eight capital cities. The capital city indexes measure price movements over time in each city individually.

    7111.0 Principal Agricultural Commodities, Australia, Preliminary 2003-04 (released 30/11/04) Provides preliminary estimates of principal agricultural commodities and livestock numbers for the 2003-04 season and comparative data for earlier years. More comprehensive and updated estimates for the 2003--4 season will be published in June 2005 in Agricultural Commodities, Australia (cat. no. 7121.0).


    FUTURE RELEASES

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