1006.0 - Forward Work Program, 2015-16 to 2018-19  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 30/09/2015   
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BUSINESS INDICATORS

OBJECTIVES

The Business Indicators program produces statistics related to business activity. The program includes:

  • monthly turnover by selected retail industries and the takeaway food services industry
  • quarterly company profits, inventories, sales and labour costs
  • quarterly actual and expected new capital expenditure
  • quarterly actual and expected mineral and petroleum exploration
  • biannual expected mineral and petroleum expenditure.

These statistics are used for the compilation of the Australian National Accounts and are important indicators of economic activity in their own right. The main clients of the program include: the Department of the Treasury; the Reserve Bank of Australia; various state and territory government departments; banks; industry associations; and other financial analysts and commentators.

OUTPUTS

The key statistical outputs of the program are:
Each publication contains both national and state level data and estimates in original, seasonally adjusted and trend terms. Business Indicators, Australia provides information on sales, labour costs, company profits and inventories. All of these publications except Mineral and Petroleum Exploration, Australia present current price data by industry. Where appropriate, estimates are presented as chain volume measures.

DEVELOPMENTS

The main medium-term developments in the program are to:
  • continue to extend coverage of Retail Trade to include selected service industries. The next inclusion will be an experimental time series for Communication Services - due December 2015
  • continue to explore alternative data sources to support an activity-based approach to household consumption expenditure measurement versus an industry-based approach - ongoing.

PROGRAM MANAGER

Dean Bowley
Business Characteristics & Indicators Branch

RESOURCES

Program costs
$m
2015-16
2.7
2016-17
2.3
2017-18
2.4