A View From The Top
Words from Michael Tindall, the ABS WA Regional Director

In my first few months with the ABS as Regional Director in Perth, I have been on a steep learning curve. During that time I have been continually impressed not only by what the ABS does, but also what the WA office does over and above our national programs for the benefit of the WA Government and Community.

Some examples of the work the WA office does, includes the publication of WA Statistical Indicators, feature articles specific to WA, outpostings to government agencies, joint projects with institutes on WA specific surveys, and Statistical Consultancies to make ABS data work better for clients.

Many of these services are provided free of charge, while others are charged for on a cost recovery basis. Our challenge is to encourage users to drive our prioritisation of projects. While we already have excellent relations with the State Government and structures in place to facilitate information exchange, we would like to enhance these processes to deliver information that best helps the WA Government to make informed decisions about WA’s future.

This year is a big one for the ABS with the release of the 2006 census data. This data not only forms the basis for many future ABS data releases, but it also gives the most complete picture of what makes WA what it is. It is exciting because, unlike previous years, substantial data from the census will be available free on the web. There are also some great new tools that will give people interesting snapshots about where they live.

It’s great to be involved with the ABS in such an important year and I look forward to ABS in WA maintaining and expanding its services to the WA community.