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WELCOME

Welcome to the third edition of Age Matters, the quarterly newsletter from the ABS National Ageing Statistics Unit (NASU). The release of this edition coincides with two significant events in the life of NASU.

Firstly, it is now exactly one year since the unit was established within the ABS, and in that short time, it has quickly established its niche amongst decision makers and others responsible for advancing ageing issues within Australia. This is not only the (arguably biased) viewpoint of their Director, but is also the feedback I have been receiving from the unit's own Advisory Board, as well as the Australian Statistical Advisory Council (ASAC), and other key stakeholders both within and outside the ABS.

The second major event for the unit is the departure of its Manager, David Martyn, who has accepted a three-year posting to Statistics New Zealand. Although the achievements of NASU in its first year have been the result of a dedicated and talented team, I would like to especially acknowledge David's contribution in the establishment of the unit, and in developing it to its present maturity in such a short time. David has left a very good legacy for his replacement, Maryann Wood, to further advance and develop the unit. Maryann comes to the unit with a wealth of experience in various areas within the ABS, and I would like to use this opportunity to welcome her to NASU.

Apart from these internal milestones, this edition of Ageing Matters has a number of topics which I'm sure will be of interest to readers. There is a major article which provides a cohort analysis of unemployment and labour force participation rates, as well as a number of shorter items of topical interest, including data from recent releases, a preview of upcoming releases, and a snapshot of current projects. A new feature which I hope readers will find of interest is the 'Did you know?' category, which contains small one line ageing-related snippets of information.

Interested readers are also invited to visit the Ageing theme page on the ABS website for links to ageing-relevant ABS datasets and other web sites (see Where can you find us? for details). Feedback or suggestions regarding anything appearing in this newsletter are welcomed.