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STATE AND TERRITORY STATISTICAL SERVICES

OBJECTIVES

The ABS builds partnerships with the states and territories to assist and encourage well-informed policy and decision making. This role is set out in ABS legislation and is supported by formal agreements with state and territory governments.

The State and Territory Statistical Services (STSS) Program advances the ABS objective of an expanded and improved National Statistical Service (NSS) within states and territories. State jurisdictions are key data custodians, providers and data users. For this reason, ABS strategies to promote data integration and develop statistical capability and infrastructure rely heavily on strong relationships between the STSS and state and territory governments. The STSS supports other areas of the ABS which are engaging with the states and territories to improve use of administrative data, understanding of key statistical concepts and standards, and in building statistical capability.

The role of the STSS is to work with the state and territory governments and communities, and to support other areas of the ABS who are engaging with these stakeholders, to:

• progress the NSS
• advocate for state and territory statistical priorities
• develop statistical capability and infrastructure
• improve the quality, visibility, utility and use of administrative data
• coordinate jurisdictional activities for ABS programs, such as Demography, Census and community engagement.

• advancement of NSS objectives in each state and territory
• progress on key statistical initiatives in collaboration with state and territory governments, based on priorities determined by the State Statistical Forum
• provision of advice and intelligence to ABS national programs on relevant state and territory statistical priorities and emerging issues, including where states and territories are key data providers
• collaboration on statistical projects designed to meet high priority needs of individual state and territory governments
• intelligence about emerging state and territory demographic issues
• promotion of the importance of the Census, and input into planning for operations of the Census in intercensal years
• coordination of the Indigenous Community Engagement Strategy leading to improved statistical literacy and statistical outcomes
• support for external statistical governance and data development forums.

• work with state and territory data custodians and users to determine supporting elements of statistical infrastructure necessary for the creation and maintenance of datasets which have been identified by the Essential Statistical Assets for Australia initiative - due 2014 -15
• support the widest possible use by governments and the community of 2011 Census data and assist in ABS preparation for the upcoming 2016 Census - ongoing until 2016
• develop statistical infrastructure and the capability of state and territory governments - ongoing
• progress the statistical priorities endorsed by the State Statistical Forum in collaboration with state and territory governments - ongoing.