7105.0.55.004 - National Agricultural Statistics Review

7105.0.55.004 - National Agricultural Statistics Review - Final Report, 2015

ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 29/07/2015 First Issue

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Glossary Appendix 1 - Methods (Appendix) Appendix 2 - Contributors to the NASR (Appendix) Appendix 3 - Primary data collections in agriculture, fisheries and forestry (Appendix) Appendix 4 - Analysis of duplication (Appendix) Frequently asked Questions (FAQs) (Appendix) Bibliography (Appendix)	METHODS DEFINING THE SCOPE FOR THE NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS REVIEW The National Agricultural Statistics Review (NASR) considered agricultural statistics to broadly mean the data, information, statistics or other knowledge that can be used to provide insights into agricultural activity (including fisheries and forestry activity). These include: agriculture, fisheries and forestry censuses and surveys commissioned research reports containing information, data or statistics administrative data datasets residing in any agency's databases. The agricultural statistics system incorporates the Australian agriculture, fisheries and forestry industries and includes: agricultural statistical assets users, producers, custodians and providers of agricultural statistical assets and information standards, frameworks and classifications physical systems coordination and governance frameworks. The NASR investigated best practice statistical systems and reflected upon recent reviews of agricultural statistics to provide background for the review and to inform the consultation process with a wide range of stakeholders. ASSESSING THE ADEQUACY OF AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS In order to address the objectives of the NASR, the review developed an approach to assessing the adequacy of Australia’s agricultural statistics system. The first step was a review of relevant literature on agricultural statistics systems presented in a range of documents. The following questions emerged from this review: why do we collect statistics? what do we collect? how do we collect these statistics? who is involved? Based on these four questions and the literature review, the NASR developed a framework for the Australian agricultural statistics system, consisting of four components. These components are summarised as follows: 1. Enduring goals for Australian agriculture 2. Statistical assets 3. Principles of good practice 4. Stakeholders. 1. Enduring goals for Australian agriculture The Australian agricultural statistical system exists to inform policy and decision making across the economic, environmental and social dimensions of the nation’s agricultural industries. Based on a desktop literature review⁶⁹, which considered strategic policy statements, thematic vision statements, mission statements or sustainability frameworks for agriculture, the NASR developed five enduring goals for Australian agriculture, forestry and fisheries industries (refer to Figure 1 Chapter 1). Together, these proposed enduring goals represent a vision for a sustainable and profitable Australian agricultural sector and define the ongoing information needs into the future. The enduring goals were then used as a framework for the structured collection of evidence (using questionnaires and face-to-face interviews) from a range of agriculture, fisheries and forestry stakeholders to determine their information needs and whether these were being met in relation to these goals. 2. Statistical assets These are the data and information that is generated to provide insights into the agriculture, fisheries and forestry industries (as guided by the enduring goals) now and into the future. A number of processes were used to collect information about agricultural statistical assets in order to review their relevance against the enduring goals. Processes included stakeholder consultation (described further in this appendix), including the collection of detailed information on data priorities and specific data assets that stakeholders were using. An analysis of this evidence was undertaken to determine the adequacy of available agricultural statistics. The questions that stakeholders were asked in order to gather evidence for the review were as follows: what statistical assets stakeholders were using to inform their work programs who produces these assets how well the statistical assets informed the needs of stakeholders what are the deficiencies in the statistical assets what statistical assets were absent from the current system what are the barriers to collecting, producing and/or using agricultural statistics in what ways might efficiencies be gained in the system. 3. Principles The NASR considered a set of criteria for assessing the adequacy of the Australian agricultural statistics system. These criteria were developed through a desk top review of characteristics and good practices for statistical systems⁷⁰. Principles of ‘good practice’ were developed that have a bearing on the system’s ability to satisfy data and information needs. The principles are grouped into the broad themes of: 1. strong governance and coordination across the system 2. a clearly articulated strategy to guide future investment 3. use of best practice methods and data sources to maximise data quality and minimise respondent burden 4. investment in, and use of, innovative new technologies, methods and processes across the statistical cycle 5. a culture of open data. These were used to assess the current state of the agricultural statistical system. These were also used to further explore system issues and potential opportunities to address the issues and have been used as the structure for this report presented in Chapters 4 and 5. 4. Stakeholders Stakeholders are the organisations and individuals across government, industry, academia and the community who are involved in producing and using agricultural statistics. Stakeholders interact with all the components of the system. The NASR undertook an analysis of stakeholders active in the Australian agricultural statistics system to identify key producers, custodians and users of agricultural statistical assets. This assisted in designing the consultation processes used in the review and formed the basis for investigating data issues, the stakeholder demand for data and whether the demand was being met. Key users, producers and custodians of agricultural statistics were identified using stakeholder networks of the Department of Agriculture and the ABS. Stakeholders consisted of government agencies (primarily those with direct responsibility for agriculture, fisheries and forestry sectors) as well as a number of other government, industry and non-government stakeholders. STAKEHOLDER CONSULTATION PROCESS Consultation for the NASR was conducted across two phases (as captured in Figure 2), commencing with the release of a brief discussion paper through the ABS website in December 2013: Discussion Paper: Submission Process for the National Agricultural Statistics Review, 2013-14 (cat. no. 7105.0.55.002). This paper provided an overview of the NASR, the review’s objectives and outlined a formal public submission process. The discussion paper aimed to: engage and consult with stakeholders across government, industry, community and academia verify the enduring national goals for Australian agriculture begin understanding the highest priority issues impacting the quality of agricultural statistics. Public submissions provided both high level responses to questions posed by the NASR as well as detailed information about agricultural statistical assets that are required to inform decision making. In addition to the public submission process, during this first phase of consultation the NASR engaged with stakeholders across government (including within ABS and the Department of Agriculture including ABARES) and industry. Submissions remained open until the 14 February 2014. In total 38 submissions were received from across government (Australian and state/territory), industry and academia. Submissions provided to the NASR were qualitatively analysed to distil common themes and issues raised by stakeholders across the national agricultural statistical information system. The outcomes of this analysis were published in March 2014 on the ABS website: National Agricultural Statistics Review - Preliminary findings, 2013-14 (cat. no. 7105.0.55.003). The release of the preliminary findings initiated the second phase of consultation for the NASR. This consultation included an option to provide further public comment on opportunities for innovation and collaboration between the producers, users and custodians of agricultural statistics, including options for resourcing the agricultural statistical system. Comment was able to be provided either in writing, verbally over the telephone to a series of questions posed by the NASR or via one of the NASR’s Stakeholder Forums. The NASR engaged the services of a professional facilitator for these forums to ensure an additional level of independence and objectivity was present in the review process. Many stakeholders provided further comment to the NASR in the stakeholder forums, with 43 organisations represented, including 16 government and 27 industry organisations. A further 4 written submissions were received in addition to the 38 from the first phase of consultation. Appendix 2 contains a list of organisations which contributed to the NASR. Input from both the first and second phases of consultation has directly shaped the outcomes of the NASR and its associated actions. Figure 2 - Stakeholder contributions to the National Agricultural Statistics Review FOOTNOTES ⁶⁹ Including materials from Australian government, industry organisations and international agricultural organisations such as the Australian Department of Agriculture, United States Department of Agriculture, New Zealand Ministry of Agriculture and Dairy Australia. ⁷⁰ In particular, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) published a framework of ‘principles’ of good practice as part of the Global Strategy to Improve Agricultural and Rural Statistics. Document Selection These documents will be presented in a new window.