WHAT THE RESULTS MEAN
The quality assessment results reflect an assessment of the quality of the statistics for the purpose of ESA. The standards and quality indicators used for the assessment were set specifically for how the available information met the level set as essential for decision making during the development of the ESA list. Quality is a fit for purpose concept and it is acknowledged that assessments for other purposes would likely produce different results.

The overall traffic light for the statistic was assessed as follows:

• Green: The overall quality of this statistic met an acceptable standard for the purpose of ESA for the quality indicators selected and the appropriate quality practices and processes were in place.
• Amber: The overall quality of this statistic was reasonable for the purpose of ESA, but lacked in some areas for the quality indicators selected and there was some investment needed to improve the quality.
• Red: There were significant gaps in the quality of the statistic for the purpose of ESA for the quality indicators selected and there was significant investment needed to improve the quality.

The statistic assessment results are relative to each statistic and cannot be compared between statistics. The overall traffic light provides an important single indicator of how the statistic is faring for the purpose of ESA, however, it is critical to consider these in tandem with the traffic light results for the seven quality dimensions for the statistics.

It is important to note that a green traffic light does not mean the quality outcomes were perfect and there were still areas for improvement identified within most essential statistics. Similarly, while an amber or red traffic light indicates gaps in the quality of the statistic for the purpose of ESA, it does not necessarily imply that there are quality issues for all of the datasets which underpin the statistics. For instance, there were four datasets which contributed in varying ways to the amber traffic light for the timeliness dimension for ESA 587 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Statistics; for example, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey and the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey met the critical frequency, but the other datasets did not.

The quality assessment results were point in time assessments which took place from November 2013 to October 2014. All assessments underwent a sign off process which checked the currency of the information from July 2014. For some statistics, improvements had already been made or were in process since the quality assessments were completed. These plans for improvement, or actions already in place post assessment, have not been taken into account for the current assessments.

The quality assessment results are explored further by dimension later within the section Statistic Assessment Results by Quality Dimension.