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
The value estimates in this publication are derived by the multiplication of price and quantity of agricultural commodities. Price data refer to the average unit value of a given commodity realised in the marketplace. Price information for livestock slaughterings and wool is obtained from Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) collections. Price information for other commodities is obtained from non-ABS sources, including marketing authorities and industry sources. Quantity data for crops and egg production have been collected via relevant Agricultural Surveys (AS) and Agricultural Censuses. Remaining commodity data are obtained from other ABS collections, with some information from external sources. The data are collected on a state basis and then aggregated to derive Australian totals.
TIMELINESS
Value of Agricultural Commodities Produced (VACP) final data are generally published 15 months after the reference period, which is approximately 6 weeks after the release of main agricultural production data in Agricultural Commodities, Australia (ABS Cat. No. 7121.0). However, the 2005-06 VACP publication was released 23 months after the reference period due to added complexities associated with the processing and production of the Agricultural Census data, which are a major input into the calculation of VACP.
Preliminary data for the 2005-06 reference period were released in the publication Value of Principal Agricultural Commodities Produced, Australia, Preliminary (ABS Cat. No. 7501.0) with further data released in Value of Selected Agricultural Commodities Produced, Australia, Preliminary (ABS Cat. No. 7502.0).
ACCURACY
The accuracy of price data 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
While most data are directly comparable over different collection cycles, it should be noted that the 2005-06 Agricultural Census, the main source of production data used as input into the calculation of VACP, was conducted using a new, and expanded, frame based on the Australian Taxation Office's Australian Business Register (ABR). The expanded frame means that some estimates from the census are not directly comparable with earlier years. The ABS has provided bridging estimates for key variables to give users an idea of the extent of change in the series as a result of using the ABR frame. It is recommended that care be taken when comparing these estimates to earlier years. Detailed explanatory and technical notes are provided in both this publication and in Agricultural Commodities, Australia (ABS Cat. No. 7121.0) for 2005-06.
INTERPRETABILITY
The survey provides a broad range of up-to-date data about the value of agricultural commodities produced in Australia through a suite of standard products or as data customised for individual requirements. 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.
ACCESSIBILITY
An extensive range of data are available from the Value of Agricultural Commodities Produced collection.
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.
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