SUMMARY OF SELECTED ABS RELEASES


ECONOMIC, ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL RELEASES

Economic Releases

Australian Wine and Grape Industry, 2008 (cat. no. 1329.0)

A statistical compendium of Australia's wine and grape industry containing information on: area of vines and production of grapes by region, wine production and grapes crushed by region, structure of the wine manufacturing industry, inventories of wine owned by winemakers at 30 June, brandy and grape spirit production, domestic wine sales, exports and imports of wine, price indexes of grapes and wine, consumption of wine, and world comparisons.

Australian National Accounts: National Income, Expenditure and Product, Jun 2008 (cat. no. 5206.0)

Presented in this publication are detailed quarterly national accounts showing both current price estimates and chain volume measures in original, seasonally adjusted and trend terms. State details for components of state final demand are also included. Balance of Payments and International Investment Position, Australia, Jun 2008 (cat. no. 5302.0)

This publication provides detailed quarterly balance of payments tables on current, capital and financial transactions for the latest six quarters, including seasonally adjusted, trend and chain volume measures of the current account. It also provides a complete international investment position statement with details of the level of investment, investment flows and associated income. Detailed information is also provided on Australia's foreign debt. This includes longer term historical series, exchange rates, analytical ratios, analytical comment, graphs of principal aggregates as well as articles of interest.Managed Funds, Australia, Sep 2008 (cat. no. 5655.0)

The statistics presented in this publication have been compiled from the ABS' Survey of Financial Information, APRA's Survey of Superannuation Funds, and the ATO's Self Managed Superannuation Fund Regulatory Return.

It provides quarterly information about money pooled for investment purposes on a consolidated basis for a range of institutions, classified according to type of fund and type of asset. The statistics also present unconsolidated information on the assets of these institutions and the source of funds being invested with professional fund managers.Business Indicators, Australia, Sep 2008 (cat. no. 5676.0)

Contains quarterly estimates of profits, income from the sale of goods and services, wages and salaries, and the book value of inventories. These data are classified by broad industry, and original, seasonally adjusted and trend estimates are included for Australia, in current price terms. Volume measures are published for sales and inventories. State/territory data is included for sales, and wages and salaries, in current price terms.Employment Arrangements, Retirement and Superannuation, Australia, Apr to Jul 2007 (cat. no. 6361.0)

This publication presents new statistics, compiled from the 2007 Survey of Employment Arrangements, Retirement and Superannuation (SEARS 2007), about the diversity of employment arrangements in Australia; people's use of working arrangements to balance work and caring responsibilities; retirement plans and expectations; selected characteristics of retired people; and the superannuation coverage of individuals including superannuation contributions and account balances.Research and Experimental Development, All Sector Summary, Australia, 2006-07 (cat. no. 8112.0)

Presents summary statistics on the level and distribution of expenditure and human resources devoted to research and experimental develoment (R&D) carried out by organisations within the Business, Government, Higher Education and Private Non-profit sectors in Australia. Most data are expressed in current prices but key aggregates are also expressed in volume terms.Information and Communication Technology, Australia 2006-07 (cat. no. 8126.0)

This publication contains details of the structure and performance of information and communication technology related industries in Australia. Data include: estimates of industry size, employment, income and expenses together with estimates of the production, distribution, import and export of selected information and communication technology goods and services. Also includes a range of performance indicators by employment size, plus state and territory comparisons.Selected Characteristics of Australian Business, 2006-07 (cat. no. 8167.0)

This electronic release presents summary business characteristics data for a selection of topics including nature of business ownership, collaborative/franchising arrangements, performance measures, barriers, government financial assistance, finance sought, innovation, use of information technology, markets and competition.Mineral and Petroleum Exploration, Australia, Jun 2008 (cat. no. 8412.0)

The private sector exploration statistics appearing in this publication have been collected and compiled from the Mineral Exploration and Petroleum Exploration quarterly censuses conducted by the ABS. This publication contains actual and expected expenditure.

Mineral exploration expenditure is classified by state and commodity, and data are provided on metres drilled. Petroleum exploration expenditure is classified by onshore/offshore, and from the Septemeber quarter 1994, by region.
Environmental Releases

Environmental Issues: Energy Use and Conservation, Mar 2008 (First Issue) (cat. no. 4602.0.55.001)

This publication presents information on environmental behaviour and practices in Australian households compiled from the Energy Use and Conservation survey conducted in March 2008. The survey collected data on household energy sources and conservation measures, dwelling size and construction type, and the number of household appliances and white goods. All of these factors affect energy use, which in turn affects the production of greenhouse gas emissions.Farm Management and Climate, 2006-07 (First Issue) (cat. no. 4625.0)

This publication presents estimates from climate themed questions on the 2006-07 Natural Resource Management on Australian Farms Survey conducted by the ABS. This is the second survey conducted by the ABS dedicated to Natural Resource Management (NRM), but the first to ask questions with a climate theme.

The results provide an important perspective into the views of land managers on changes to the climate, the effect of these changes, and the adaptability of land managers to such changes. Results are reported at a national and state/territory level, as well as for NRM regions. Results are further reported at the national level for different industries within the agricultural sector, as well as by the length of time the respondent had managed the agricultural holding.Information Paper: What are Environmental Accounts?, 2008 (cat. no. 4655.0.55.001)

This paper provides a brief statement about Environmental Accounts and their potential uses.
Social Releases

Australian Standard Geographical Classification (ASGC), Jul 2008 (cat. no. 1216.0)

A classification system, designed and maintained by the ABS, which divides Australia into geographical areas for the purpose of collecting and disseminating statistics. It provides details of the statistical geographical areas effective at 1 July 2008 and includes maps of these areas.Research Paper: Sample Design Issues for National Surveys of the Indigenous Population (Methodology Advisory Committee), Jun 2008 (cat. no. 1352.0.55.096)

ABS surveys of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population are both complex and expensive due to high levels of screening in non-remote areas. The 2008 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey is using a new geographical unit, the meshblock. This paper outlines the new meshblock design and investigates the accuracy implications of meshblock-level sampling, concentrating on the effects of migration between Census and survey.Population Projections, Australia, 2006 to 2101 (cat. no. 3222.0)

Contained in this publication are projections (based on different assumptions of future fertility, mortality and migration) of the resident population of Australia, the states and territories, capital cities and balance of states, by age and sex, for the base year to 2101 (for Australia) and for the base year to 2056 (for the states and territories, capital cities and balances of states). Also includes summary measures such as percentages of the population in selected age groups and median ages as well as detailed notes on the assumptions used.Sports and Physical Recreation: A Statistical Overview, Australia, 2008 (Edition 2) (cat. no. 4156.0)

This publication provides a statistical overview of sports and physical recreation in Australia. Topics covered include output of the sports and physical recreation sector, employment in sports and physical recreation, government outlays on recreation, international trade in sports and physical recreation goods, attendances at sporting events, and participation in sports and physical recreation activities.Perspectives on Sport, Oct 2008 (First Issue) (cat. no. 4156.0.55.001)

This is the first release of Perspectives on Sport. The publication provides users with articles that discuss issues relating to sport and sporting programs that are commonplace within the Australian political and media landscape. These articles aim to provide further informed commentary to assist those debating major issues. The topics in this issue include: Motivation to participate in sport, Non-playing roles in organised sport, and Volunteers in sport.Arts and Culture in Australia: A Statistical Overview, 2008 (Second Edition) (cat. no. 4172.0)

This publication provides a statistical overview of culture in Australia. It contains information on a range of topics including employment in culture, time spent on cultural activities, attendances at cultural venues and events, expenditure on culture, and imports and exports of cultural goods and services. Also provides profiles of the cultural sectors, grouped according to the Australian Culture and Leisure Industry Classification.Overweight and Obesity - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people: A snapshot, 2004-05 (First Issue) (cat. no. 4722.0.55.006)

This snapshot presents an overview of the prevalence of overweight and obesity among adults in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population as measured in the 2004-05 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey (NATSIHS). It also explores the relationship between this health risk factor and other selected behavioural and environmental indicators, and provides some comparisons with non-Indigenous adults using data from the 2004-05 National Health Survey (NHS).Information Paper: Census Data Enhancement - Indigenous Mortality Quality Study, 2006-07 (cat. no. 4723.0)

This paper reports on the findings of one of the quality studies conducted as part of the Census Data Enhancement project. The Indigenous Mortality Quality Study looks at the levels and consistency of Indigenous identification between the 2006 Census and Death registrations. The paper discussed some of the issues encountered in conducting the analysis, the results of the analysis and recommendations for future work in this area.Education and Work, Australia, May 2008 (cat. no. 6227.0)

This publication provides selected information on participation in education, highest educational attainment, transition from education to work and current labour force and demographic characteristics for the civilian population aged 15-64 years. Characteristics reported on include: type of educational institution attended or attending; level and main field of education of current study and highest level and main field of educational attainment. Information on unsuccessful enrolment, and deferment of study, is included for persons not studying in the survey year. Data on apprenticeships are also provided.