Progress in Achieving ESA Objectives
The identification of the ESA list (Phase 1) and quality assessment of the list (Phase 2) are now complete. Work has commenced on identification of the essential statistical infrastructure (Phase 3) and determining priorities for future investment (Phase 4). While the achievement of ESA objectives is still underway, there have already been benefits and progress made towards achieving the ultimate aim of the initiative: to enhance the quality and value of the Australian statistical system.
The 2013 ESA list identified data gaps for several essential statistical assets. The quality assessment process led to improvements in information relating to dataset gaps, particularly at the state and territory level where there is no national collection. For example, it was discovered through the quality assessment process that for the State and Territory Household Travel Surveys, there were data gaps for SA, WA, NT and ACT. These gaps are further outlined in the Revised 2013 ESA List (Appendix 2) and the individual Statistic Assessment Summaries (Appendix 4). The results of the quality assessment process also provided valuable insight into the quality of the essential statistics to help guide investment. These results are further outlined in the Overview of the Statistic Assessment Results (Appendix 1) and the Statistic Assessment Summaries (Appendix 4). The next phase of ESA, Essential Statistical Infrastructure, will assist in making more efficient use of government resources by identifying essential statistical infrastructure. Work on this phase is currently underway.
In addition to the direct aims of the initiative, an increasing number of by-product outcomes and secondary projects were generated. These outcomes and projects include similar initiatives aimed at a jurisdictional level in several states, engagement on quality assessment matters in particular subject domains as well as across jurisdictions, and application of elements of ESA for Australia for other objectives, such as applying the quality information produced from the quality assessment process to other projects. There have also been additional benefits from the quality assessment process in raising awareness of data quality across the national statistical system.
One specific example of a project leveraging the work of ESA is the National Agricultural Statistics Review (NASR), a joint project between the ABS and the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES). The NASR has examined opportunities to improve the National Agricultural Statistical Information System, building on outcomes of recent internal program reviews, as well as the ESA for Australia initiative.
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