FULLY ANZSIC
The census form contains a number of questions that gather information on a wide range of topics. During processing, responses on each topic are allocated to a particular category within the relevant classification. A classification provides a framework that allows the grouping together of similar responses. Classifications facilitate standardised collection, production, analysis and dissemination of statistics. The processing of census forms is largely concerned with ensuring that individual responses are allocated to the appropriate category within a classification.
During processing, paper forms are loaded and scanned into a computer. Intelligent Character Recognition (ICR) enables marks and handwritten text to be automatically deciphered and coded, enabling improved processing times and delivering a high standard of data quality.
Where available, the census makes use of existing Australian Standard Classifications. For example, based on their responses to the questions on Occupation, people are coded to categories based on the Australian Standard Classfication of Occupations (ASCO), while Country of Birth is coded to the Standard Australian Classification of Countries (SACC). Industry of Employment is coded according to ANZSIC, the Australian and New Zealand Standard Industry Classification.
The current edition of ANZSIC was released in 1993. It was produced jointly by the Australian Bureau of Statistics and New Zealand's official statistical agency, Statistics New Zealand. It is widely used in both countries for the production and analysis of industry statistics.
A review of ANZSIC 1993 is currently underway. It is important that the classification is periodically reviewed to ensure that it continues to reflect the current structure of the economy and continues to meet the needs of users. The forthcoming edition of ANZSIC will be released in 2006.
Results from the 2006 Census will be published based on the new ANZSIC classification. However, responses to the questions on Industry will be dual-coded, so census results will also be available on the basis of the previous classification. This will facilitate comparison with the 2001 Census.
For more information, consult your Census Dictionary (cat. no. 2901.0) or the Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (cat. no. 1292.0), available free from the ABS web site.
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