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ACT GOVERNMENT NEWS AND EVENTS

Information in this section was contributed by the ACT Chief Minister's Department.


POPULATION WORKSHOP

The Australia and New Zealand Population Workshop was recently hosted by the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Government. It is an annual event hosted by each Australian state and territory on a rotational basis.

This year the Australian Capital Territory Demographer, Miss Gemma Wood, chaired the event held at ABS House in Canberra on the 12-15 October 2009.

Participants in the workshop included demographers and planners from the ACT, NSW, Vic., Qld, SA, WA, NT, the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Statistics New Zealand, the Productivity Commission, Commonwealth Treasury, academics and private sector experts.

The purpose of the workshop was to facilitate exchange of demographic methodology and best practice as well as develop the potential for greater collaboration and exchange between jurisdictions. Through these workshops it is envisaged that the quality of demographic information produced across Australia and New Zealand will be improved.

Projections of the level, characteristics and location of the ACT's future population are fundamental to quality policy development and informed decision making by government and by the community. Demographic studies and population projections provide the basis for assessing future requirements for residential and commercial land, housing, public utilities, and the provision of an array of services.

Expert speakers presented on topics including overseas migration, internal migration, household projections, fertility and microsimulation techniques. Officers from the ABS led workshops on the 2011 Census, the Survey of Income and Housing and the new Australian Statistical Geography Standard.

Information shared at this workshop will be utilised by the ACT Government in future demographic research and modelling. Greater collaboration with other jurisdictions and the Federal Government will also be a focus in future demographic work.