Appendix 6.1 - Disclosure of unidentified information

The Statistics Determination (Statutory Rules 1983 No. 19) made by the Minister under section 13 of the Census and Statistics Act 1905 provides for the disclosure, with the approval in writing of the Australian Statistician, of specified classes of information. Clause 7 of the Determination provides for the disclosure of unidentified individual statistical records in a manner that is not likely to enable the identification of the person or organisation to which they relate.

In accordance with Clause 7, the ABS provides access to Confidentialised Unit Record Files (CURFs) under strict conditions. More information on CURFs can be found in Chapter 11, Quality and timeliness, and Chapter 12, Communication of statistics. The ABS website also contains information about CURFs (see https://www.abs.gov.au - Services - CURF microdata).

In terms of Clause 7, a disclosure of unidentified information occurs when the Statistician or delegate gives approval for an organisation to access a CURF. Individual users in that organisation can then apply to the ABS for access to that CURF.

The first table below lists the CURFs for which organisations were given approval to access in 2007-08. The second table provides the number of approvals given for organisations over the last three financial years.

Appendix Table 6.1A: Statistical Collections for which approval was given to disclose unidentified information in 2007-08.

Survey Date
Adult literacy and life skills survey	2006
Aspects of literacy survey	1996
Australians' employment and unemployment patterns survey	1994-97
Business growth and performance survey	For combined years: 1994-95, 1995-96, 1996-97 and 1997-98
Census 1% sample file	1981
Census 1% sample file	1986
Census 1% sample file	1991
Census 1% sample file	1996
Census of population and housing	2001
Child care survey	1996
Child care survey	1999
Child care survey	2002
Child care survey	2005
Disability, ageing and carers survey	1993
Disability, ageing and carers survey	1998
Disability, ageing and carers survey	2003
Education and training survey	1997
Education and training survey	2005
Education and work survey	2001
Education and work survey	2003
Education and work survey	2005
Education and work survey	2007
Education, training and information technology survey	2001
Employment arrangements and superannuation survey	2000
Family characteristics survey	2003
Forms of employment survey	1998
General social survey	2002
General social survey	2006
Household expenditure survey	1975-76
Household expenditure survey	1984
Household expenditure survey	1988-89
Household expenditure survey	1993-94
Household expenditure survey (third edition)	1998-99
Household expenditure survey (second edition) and income and housing survey	2003-04
Household expenditure survey and income and housing survey (third edition)	2003-04
Income and housing costs and amenities survey	1990
Income and housing costs survey	1994-95
Income and housing costs survey	1995-96
Income and housing costs survey	1996-97
Income and housing costs survey	1999-2000
Income and housing costs survey	2000-01
Income and housing survey	1982
Income and housing survey	2002-03
Income and housing survey	2003-04
Income and housing survey	2005-06
Income and housing survey (second edition)	2005-06
Income distribution survey	1986
Innovation in Australian business survey	2003
Labour force survey and employee earnings, benefits and trade union membership survey	August 2004
Labour force survey and employee earnings, benefits and trade union membership survey	August 2006
Labour force survey and labour mobility survey	February 2006
Labour mobility survey	1984
Labour mobility survey	1991
Labour mobility survey	1994
Multi-purpose household survey	2004-05
Multi-purpose household survey	2005-06
Multi-purpose household survey	2006-07
National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health survey	2004-05
National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander social survey	2002
National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander survey	1994
National crime and safety survey	2002
National crime and safety survey	2005
National health survey	1977-78
National health survey	1983
National health survey	1989-90
National health survey	1995
National health survey	2001
National health survey	2004-05
National health survey (Indigenous file)	2001
National survey of mental health and wellbeing of adults (2nd revised)	1997
Personal safety survey	2005
Pregnancy and employment transitions survey	2005
Time use survey	1997
Time use survey	2006
Training and education survey	1993
Voluntary work in Australia survey	2000

The total number of disclosures of unidentified information, under clause 7 of the Statistics Determination, are shown in the following table. Appendix Table 6.1B: Disclosure of Unidentified Information - Number of approvals given Clause 7 - number of approvals (a) 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 Universities (b) 155 132 133 Other 216 198 136 Total 371 330 269 (a) Does not include renewals of previously approved CURFs (b) Under the agreement with Universities Australia to provide access for research and teaching purposes.

Previous Page

Next Page