DATA QUALITY FRAMEWORK
The ESA quality assessment process was based on the ABS Data Quality Framework. The ABS Data Quality Framework provides standards for assessing and reporting on the quality of statistical information. Data quality is generally accepted as a ‘fitness for purpose’ concept, where data is assessed with reference to its intended objectives or aims. Data quality is therefore also a multidimensional concept which does not only include the accuracy of statistics, but also stretches to include other aspects such as relevance and interpretability. The ABS Data Quality Framework is comprised of seven dimensions of quality, which are:

1. Institutional Environment,
2. Relevance,
3. Timeliness,
4. Accuracy,
5. Coherence,
6. Interpretability, and
7. Accessibility.

The ABS Data Quality Framework is internationally recognised and is based on the Statistics Canada Quality Assurance Framework and the European Statistics Code of Practice. Further information on how the ABS Data Quality Framework was used during the quality assessment phase of ESA is outlined in the section Quality Indicators for ESA.

The quality indicators chosen for the quality assessment process, which inform each of the seven dimensions of the ABS Data Quality Framework, were largely drawn from the NSS Data Quality Online Tool. These were supplemented with additional indicators to suit the needs of the ESA quality assessment phase and to better reflect the elements of the datasets and statistics within the ESA initiative. The standards which were set for these quality indicators were for the purposes of the ESA initiative and it is acknowledged that assessing the quality of these indicators for different purposes could possibly produce different quality outcomes.