• Summary
• Downloads
• Explanatory Notes
• Related Information
• Past Releases

Scope of the Australian system of national accounts

2.1 The ASNA forms a body of statistics that incorporates a wide range of information about the Australian economy and its components. In addition to the long-standing statistics of national income, expenditure and product, the accounts include the financial accounts, input-output tables, balance sheet statistics (including capital stock statistics), multifactor productivity statistics, and State accounts. The ultimate scope of the ASNA encompasses the full range of statistics that SNA93 recommends for a complete national accounting system. However, like most other countries, Australia does not yet compile the full range of information recommended in SNA93. The areas where the ABS is yet to implement the SNA93 recommendations are identified at relevant points throughout this manual and are summarised in Appendix 2, Differences between ASNA and SNA93.

2.2 The current scope of the ASNA is best described by the list of statistical bulletins that comprise the ASNA data. These are as follows:

• Australian System of National Accounts (Cat. no. 5204.0) - annual;

• Australian National Accounts: National Income, Expenditure and Product (Cat. no. 5206.0) - quarterly;

• Australian National Accounts: Input-Output Tables (Cat. no. 5209.0) - irregular;

• Australian National Accounts: State Accounts (Cat. no. 5220.0) - annual; and

• Australian National Accounts: Financial Accounts (Cat. no. 5232.0) - quarterly.

2.7 The sources and methods used to compile national accounts are typically many and varied, and the Australian situation is no exception. From the perspective of users of the ASNA, an understanding of the sources of information used and the methods applied to compile the national accounts is useful because such matters can influence the quality, accuracy and reliability of the statistics. Chapters 11 to 28 provide a detailed account of the sources and methods underlying the data compiled for key variables in the central transaction accounts and for specific sets of data, such as appear in the financial accounts and the balance sheets. The next few paragraphs provide a broad description of the processes and infrastructure that underlie compilation of the Australian national accounts.

2.8 Because of the wide range of information included in the ASNA, capture of the data by means of a single survey, or even a few surveys, would not be feasible. Since many parts of the accounts record transactions in which two parties are involved, there are at least two possible sources of information about such transactions, and compilers can economise by targeting the least costly sources of information. Furthermore, surveys are not the only sources of information, and advantage must be taken of administrative and other records that contain relevant information obtainable at less cost than surveys.

2.9 However, before using information from surveys or administrative records, national accounts compilers must be sure that the information is consistent with national accounting standards, and that there are no gaps or overlaps between the various sources. A high proportion of information used in compiling the Australian national accounts comes from surveys that use the ABS register of businesses and other organisations (referred to as the 'business register') to provide the target population. The business register is a list of economic units that are defined according to the national accounting standards described in Chapters 5 and 6. The units are also defined so as not to overlap, and every effort is made to include all economically significant units so that there are no gaps in the coverage of the relevant fields of economic activity. Although most of the ABS surveys that provide data for the ASNA are used primarily to compile other economic statistics, the survey questions are generally designed to comply with national accounting concepts so that the survey results are consistent with national accounts statistics. Where administrative data are used, the national accounts compiler has less control over the application of standards and the possible existence of gaps and overlaps. Some potential sources of this type may be rejected because they cannot be reconciled with survey results or deviate too much from national accounts standards.

2.10 Once reliable and consistent sources of data have been established, the major task of the national accounts compilers is to bring together the data in the national accounting framework. In some cases, there may be two sets of data relating to the same variables, in which case discrepancies must be investigated and a choice made as to which data are more reliable. Furthermore, the ASNA includes balances that are equal in concept but are derived from different data items. For example, net lending or borrowing in the capital account is equal in concept to net change in financial position in the financial account but is derived entirely from non-financial transactions, whereas net change in financial position is derived entirely from financial transactions. Such balances provide a measure of the consistency of the two sets of data and can be used to monitor the accuracy and quality of the statistics. When differences are unavoidable or unresolved, rather than force a balance, compilers may record the differences in the accounts as 'statistical discrepancies' or 'net errors and omissions'.

2.11 Business and administrative records do not always provide information that reflects economic reality. For example, interest charges generally include a service charge as well as a return on capital invested. In such cases, SNA93 prescribes imputation of the required information. In other cases, transaction flows have to be rerouted, as with employers' contributions to superannuation funds on behalf of their employees, which are paid to superannuation funds but are recorded in the ASNA as payable directly to employees as a component of employee remuneration. National accounts compilers therefore must put in place systems to derive such imputed information. Thus, data obtained from surveys or administrative records may be adjusted or rearranged to meet SNA93 requirements.

2.12 Two significant processes are applied by compilers to derive additional data of considerable interest: time series analysis and production of chain volume measures. Time series analysis includes seasonal adjustment and estimation of trend values. Seasonal adjustment involves estimation of seasonal factors in the data and adjustment of the data to remove the seasonal effect. Trend values are estimated by removing irregular movements from seasonally adjusted data. Time series analysis is described in more detail in Appendix 3. Chain volume estimation involves removing the effects of price changes from source data, which are recorded at current prices. Price and volume estimation is discussed in more detail in Chapter 10.

2.13 Once all adjustments and derivations have been made, compilers should have a complete data set that can be checked for consistency with data for previous periods and data from other systems. Known as output editing, this form of checking aims to detect errors that may have slipped through at earlier stages of compilation, and which may require inquiry back to the supplier of the source data. Data may be queried because the resulting movement from the previous period (or the same period in the previous year) appears implausible or is inconsistent with the movement in other related variables. After all checks have been completed and errors or inconsistencies explained or removed, the statistics are cleared by a senior statistician for publication.

2.14 Australian national accounts statistics include major economic indicators that are in strong demand and can influence financial markets. Therefore, care is taken to ensure that no user receives the statistics before the designated release time, with a small number of exceptions. These exceptions relate to designated officers in certain government departments who are required to prepare briefing material on the statistics for their Ministers; they are subject to a strict embargo until the official release of the national accounts.

2.15 Because Australian national accounts statistics are often compiled from source data that are preliminary or incomplete, the statistics are often revised when final or more complete information comes to hand. Such revisions to the data are therefore relatively common. Furthermore, seasonally adjusted and trend data are subject to revision because the adjustment factors for seasonal and irregular influences change over time as more data are added to the time series. Similarly, chain volume measures are subject to revision whenever the reference period is changed and when a new base year is introduced.


Uses of Australian national accounts statistics

2.16 The uses of the statistics included in the ASNA mainly arise from the role of the national accounts as a framework for evaluating economic performance. However, given the wide range of information included in the ASNA, economic performance can be evaluated at a number of different levels, including the economy as a whole, the various sectors and subsectors of the economy, individual States and Territories, individual industries and individual commodities. Furthermore, information is available for different time frames, including quarterly data for measuring short term changes in economic conditions and more detailed annual information for measuring longer term changes. Seasonally adjusted and trend series facilitate analysis of short term movements in quarterly data, and chain volume measures help to isolate real movements in the economic indicators.

2.17 The estimates of national income, expenditure and product are well established as a framework for monitoring the current performance of the Australian economy, and are closely followed and analysed by government and private sector economists, the media, financial markets, credit rating agencies and others with an interest in current economic trends. General interest centres on trend and seasonally adjusted chain volume measures of key variables such as gross domestic product as an indicator of growth, measures of income such as compensation of employees and gross operating surplus of corporations, the expenditure items of final consumption expenditure (government and households) and gross fixed capital formation, the ratio of net household saving to net household disposable income, and production classified by industry groupings. Such information is used in short-term economic forecasting, in analyses underlying forecasts and economic policy settings in Commonwealth and State/Territory government budgets, in models of economic activity that simulate the effects of economic policy and behaviour, and in international comparisons of Australia's economic performance with the performance of other countries.

2.18 As well as Australia's national accounts, the ABS produces annual accounts for each of Australia's States and Territories each year (in Cat. no. 5220.0). These provide estimates of gross State product (GSP) and state final demand. A subset of these annual statistics is published quarterly in Cat. no. 5206.0.40.001. An important use of State accounts is to compare each State and Territory in terms of levels of economic activity and rates of economic growth.

2.19 The financial accounts data (published in Cat. no. 5232.0) have more specialised uses, relating to financial markets and the financial sector. They are used by government and private sector economists as short term indicators of the demand for credit, which reflects overall economic conditions and expectations. The sectoral and instrument breakdowns in the financial accounts enable detailed analysis of stocks and flows related to borrowing and lending. Depending on economic conditions, user interest may focus, for example, on the borrowing and debt of governments, or on the ratio of debt to equity financing of private corporations. The financial accounts provide an alternative view (to that shown in the real accounts) of national and sectoral saving, and indicate the composition of saving in terms of financial instruments. For example, these accounts can show trends in household saving toward superannuation and the extent to which accumulation of household debt counteracts potential increases in household saving. Financial market analysts and participants use the financial accounts to assess growth in the markets for various forms of finance (e.g. deposits, loans, shares, debt securities) and sources of finance (e.g. banks, non-bank depository institutions, life offices and superannuation funds, non-residents) used by borrowers.

2.20 The national balance sheet data on the level and composition of Australia's assets and liabilities indicate the economic resources of, and claims on, the nation and each sector, and support assessments of the external debtor or creditor position of a country. The monetary estimates of natural resources contained in the balance sheet are underpinned by a data set of physical estimates detailing levels of particular natural resources. Due to the experimental nature of the monetary estimates, it is considered that monetary estimates on natural resources should be considered in conjunction with the physical estimates, especially for subsoil assets. The estimates provide information for monitoring the availability and exploitation of these resources and for assisting in the formulation of environmental policies and resource pricing. Sectoral balance sheets provide information necessary for analysing a number of topics. Examples include: determining household spending behaviour and liquidity; and the computation of widely used ratios, such as debt to equity, non-financial to financial assets, and debt to income. National and sector balance sheets provide additional information on the relationship between consumption and saving behaviour which can be used in analysing movements in the level of saving in Australia. Individuals can use the balance sheets to guide investment decisions. For example, the balance sheets show the value (and changes in the value) of land and houses, shares, cash and deposits, and livestock. This information can be used to analyse the return on assets over the last decade or so. Companies can compare the return on their own assets with returns achieved nationwide. Prospective investors may examine the unit values and returns on, for example, the various subsoil assets to guide investments in particular industries.

2.21 The ASNA's input-output tables (published in Cat. no. 5209.0) provide a much more detailed disaggregation of the gross domestic product account than is available in the national income, expenditure and product accounts. Input-output tables are used to facilitate economic analysis in a number of ways, for example:

• they provide a means of undertaking comparative analysis of industries within an economy as well as across economies;

• they provide the basis for a detailed understanding of the linkages and dependencies that exist within an economy;

• given the set of assumptions implicit in the input-output framework, they provide a means of forecasting the economic effects of a change in demand on economic variables such as value added, prices and employment;

• they constitute a core component of many modern general equilibrium models which may be used for a number of purposes including forecasting; and

• they provide a framework whereby the confrontation of data from various sources can be undertaken, thereby providing a means of improving the accuracy of the national accounts and economic statistics in general.