PREAMBLE

Under the Australian Bureau of Statistics Act 1975, the Australian Statistician is responsible for formulating standards for the undertaking of operations for statistical purposes. The purpose of this paper is to provide information on the Australian Bureau of Statistics Data Quality Framework (ABS DQF). This framework provides the standards for assessing and reporting on the quality of statistical information. It is a tool which improves a user's ability to:

• decide whether a dataset or statistical product is fit for purpose (which in turn helps to identify data gaps);
• assess the data quality of seemingly similar collections; and
• interpret data.

It can also assist those developing statistical collections to produce high quality outputs.

The ABS Data Quality Framework is designed for use by a range of data users and providers in different settings, including government agencies, statistical agencies and independent research agencies. For example, the ABS DQF will be used to assess the quality of performance indicator data linked to a number of National Agreements in key policy areas signed by the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) in late 2008.

The ABS maintains ownership of this framework and reserves the right to update the framework as part of an ongoing commitment to continuous quality improvement.


INQUIRIES

For further information about these and related statistics, contact the National Information and Referral Service on 1300 135 070.