PREFACE
On 30 September 1997, the ABS published an Information Paper titled Implementation of Revised International Standards in the Australian National Accounts (Cat. no. 5251.0) detailing the implementation of the System of National Accounts, 1993 (SNA93) in the Australian national accounts (ANA). The paper included details of associated developments to integrate the input-output tables with the national income, expenditure and product accounts, and the replacement of constant price estimates with chain volume estimates to improve the measurement of economic growth.
A subsequent information paper titled Introduction of Chain Volume Measures in the Australian National Accounts (Cat. no. 5248.0) was released on 19 March 1998. It described the concepts of chain volume measurement and ABS plans for its implementation.
On 2 December 1998 the ABS will release the September quarter 1998 issue of Australian National Accounts: National Income, Expenditure and Product (Cat. no. 5206.0), which will contain data compiled and presented in accordance with the SNA93 standards, including the integration of input-output tables and the introduction of chain volume measures. A number of changes to the format and content of Cat. no. 5206.0 will also be introduced at that time.
To help users prepare for the changed nature and presentation of the statistics, this information paper contains, in Appendix 1, the proposed new table structures for 5206.0. The impact of the changes on the key national accounts aggregates is summarised in Section 4.
A full set of tables containing data compiled on the new basis up to the June quarter 1998 will be available from the ABS from Wednesday 11 November 1998. Details of this release are provided on page 28.
The ABS is currently preparing Australian National Accounts: Concepts, Sources and Methods (Cat. no. 5216.0), which will provide detailed descriptions of the concepts, data sources and methodologies used in compiling Australian national accounts and related statistics. The document is expected to be released in the first half of 1999. Users interested in more details of the issues explained in this Information Paper should contact the ABS officers listed on page 28.
