1006.0 - Forward Work Program, 2013-14 to 2016-17  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 26/06/2013   
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Contents >> Statistical Programs >> Business Indicators

BUSINESS INDICATORS

OBJECTIVES

The Business Indicators Program is responsible for the provision of a range of sub-annual main economic indicators.

The indicators include:

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

These data are essential inputs to the compilation of quarterly and annual National Accounts.

The main clients of the program include the Treasury, the Reserve Bank of Australia, various state and territory departments, banks, industry associations, and other financial analysts and commentators. These clients use the statistics as partial indicators of the National Accounts and as important indicators of economic activity in their own right.


OUTPUTS

The key statistical outputs of the program are:
  • Retail Trade, Australia (ABS cat. no. 8501.0) - monthly
  • Private New Capital Expenditure and Expected Expenditure, Australia (ABS cat. no. 5625.0) - quarterly
  • Mineral and Petroleum Exploration, Australia (ABS cat. no. 8412.0) - quarterly
  • Business Indicators, Australia (ABS cat. no. 5676.0) - quarterly.

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.

The program produces detailed datasets that are available in spreadsheet form via the ABS website.


DEVELOPMENTS

The main medium-term developments in the program are to:
  • extend Retail Trade’s coverage to include service industries, particularly those which have become more significant in household consumption expenditures, and investigate the appropriateness of an activity-based collection versus an industry-based approach - ongoing
  • review Finance sector in Quarterly Business Indicator Survey (QBIS) - due 2013-14
  • investigate expanding the scope of QBIS to include Public Corporations - due 2013-14.

PROGRAM MANAGER

Paul Williams, Assistant Statistician, Macroeconomic Indicators


REFERENCES

Topics @ a Glance - Economy



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