QUALITY DECLARATION - SUMMARY

INSTITUTIONAL ENVIRONMENT
For information on the institutional environment of the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), including the legislative obligations of the ABS, financing and governance arrangements, and mechanisms for scrutiny of ABS operations, please see ABS Institutional Environment.

RELEVANCE
Gross Value of Irrigated Agricultural Production (GVIAP) estimates have been a core component of the ABS Water Account (cat. no. 4610.0) which is produced every four years. Growing demand from policy-makers and other users has led to an increasing demand for the ABS to produce more accurate and frequent estimates of GVIAP. This product, Experimental Estimates of the Gross Value of Irrigated Agricultural Production (cat. no. 4610.0.55.008), presents the ABS response to this information request.
This product, presents a set of experimental estimates created for the reference period 2000-01 to 2007-08 for Australia, States and territories, Natural Resource Management (NRM) regions and the Murray-Darling Basin level. It contains statistics on GVIAP, annual percentage change of GVIAP, gross value of agricultural production (GVAP, also known as VACP), GVIAP as a percentage of GVAP, volume of irrigation water applied to commodity groups, and the ratio of GVIAP to volume of water applied.

TIMELINESS
These Experimental Estimates of the Gross Value of Irrigated Agricultural Production for 2000-01 to 2007-08 data have been released 25 months after the reference period, because they are part of a new issue using a new methodology. The next issue, for the reference period 2008-09, will be released approximately 17 months after the reference period.

ACCURACY
The accuracy of price data used in compiling these estimates is ensured by the collection of price data from the best known sources. Where a statutory authority handles marketing of the whole or a portion of a product, data are usually obtained from this source. Information is also obtained from marketing reports, wholesalers, brokers and auctioneers. Production data is obtained from a range of high-quality sources, including ABS agricultural commodity collections and industry bodies. Extensive editing of this data and checking of resultant value estimates against earlier years and relevant other sources are used to ensure the accuracy of the estimates produced.

COHERENCE
Prior to 2005-06, the ABS had maintained its own register of agricultural establishments. From 2005-06, the main source of production data used as input into the calculation of GVIAP (the 2006-07 and 2007-08 Agricultural Survey and 2005-06 Agricultural Census) were conducted using new and expanded frames based on the Australian Taxation Office's Australian Business Register (ABR). The expanded frames mean that estimates from 2005-06, 2006-07 and 2007-08 may not be directly comparable with earlier years. It is recommended that care be taken when comparing estimates from these collections to earlier years. Detailed explanatory and technical notes relating to this change in frame were included in the 2005-06 PDF release of Agricultural Commodities, Australia (cat. no. 7121.0)

The list of agricultural commodities, for which production and irrigation data was collected by the ABS from 2000-01 to 2007-08, varied from year-to-year, however this product displays a consistent set of commodity groups over the reference period using a recently-developed set of concordances.

INTERPRETABILITY

This product provides a broad range of up-to-date data about the value of irrigated agricultural commodities produced in Australia. To assist users we have also linked GVIAP with VACP and volume of water applied. Detailed explanatory notes are provided in this publication to assist users in determining and specifying their data requirements and to understand the concepts underlying the data.

The agricultural survey and five-yearly agricultural censuses provide a broad range of data about Australian agricultural commodities through a suite of standard products or as data customised for individual requirements. Detailed explanatory notes are provided with each of these publications to assist users.

ACCESSIBILITY

Previously estimates of GVIAP were only available on a 4-yearly basis in the ABS Water Account, Australia (cat. no. 4610.0), however with this new product the ABS is producing comprehensive state by commodity tables on an annual basis.

If the information you require is not available as a standard product or service, then ABS Consultancy Services can help you with customised services to suit your needs. Inquiries should be made to either the National Information and Referral Service on 1300 135 070 or Agriculture Client Services on (03) 6222 5939.