1316.3 - Statistical Update Queensland (Newsletter), Aug 2003
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 27/08/2003
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Editorial I would like to introduce myself as the new Regional Director for the ABS in Queensland. This position became vacant following the retirement of Brian Doyle in July. Brian had a distinguished career with the ABS and his valuable contribution will be missed by many people. Commencing as the Regional Director completes a full circle for my time in the ABS. My career with the ABS began in the Brisbane office in 1989. I transferred to the Sydney office for 1 year before moving to our head office in Canberra for 5 years. I then returned to Sydney for 4 years and I have now come back to where I started - my home state! My background is in social statistics and I have an honours degree in sociology. While in Canberra I worked in a range of programs, including training, gender and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander statistics. In Sydney I was the Director of Information Services, managing the client services of the office. I have also been fortunate to participate in two censuses. In 1991 I worked at the Data Processing Centre in Sydney and 10 years later I was the Director of the 2001 Census for New South Wales. I look forward to forging strong personal ties with the Queensland State Government and to continuing to build partnerships to ensure the information needs of agencies are met. - Maelisa McNeil Queensland State Supplementary Surveys It’s Submission Time for 2004! State Government agencies are invited to lodge their submissions for the selection of a topic for the Queensland State Supplementary Survey, 2004. This survey is a supplement to the Australia-wide monthly population survey and is conducted using a multistage area sample with information obtained from approximately 5,000 private dwellings in urban and rural areas of Queensland. The information collected can relate to individuals in the household, the household itself or dwelling characteristics. The state supplementary survey presents a great opportunity to gather high quality statistical estimates for the selected topic. The following topics were selected in Queensland in recent years: 2003 Bicycle Usage and Household Telephone Collections 2002 Managing Paid Work and Unpaid Caring Responsibilities 2001 Safety in the Home Final proposals are due on Friday 5 September 2003 to Lynn Collins at the Office of Economic and Statistical Research who will forward submissions to the ABS. Due to tight timetabling, there can be no extensions. To assist you in preparing your submission, a proforma and guidelines are available from the ABS. For further information contact Robyn MacDonald on 07 3222 6232 or robyn.macdonald@abs.gov.au.
Queensland State Supplementary Survey 2003 The State Supplementary Survey 2003, Bicycle Usage and Household Telephone Connections, will be in the field in October, 2003. This dual topic survey will be seeking information on the cycling habits of Queenslanders and information on telephone connections and access to mobile phones. Output from the survey will available in April 2004. For further information contact Robyn MacDonald on 07 3222 6232 or robyn.macdonald@abs.gov.au. Did you know... (Some Queensland Statistics) (From Queensland State Supplementary Survey 2002: Managing Caring Responsibilities and Paid Employment (cat. no. 4903.3) In the 6 months to October 2002, an estimated 1,068,300 or 47.1% of persons aged 18 years and over in Queensland provided unpaid care for another adult or child. More than half of all females provided care (52.8%), while 41.4% of males provided care. Of the total care provided, the majority (68.6%) was on an ongoing or continual basis. Occasional care was provided in just over a quarter of all cases (26.3%) and once only care in only 5.1% of cases. Of the care provided, 20.7% was for children aged under 6 years and 20.2% for children aged 6 years to under 15. Elderly persons received 9.4% of the total care with a further 13.4% provided to any other person (including family members). A significant amount (36.3%) of all care was concerned with persons caring for their own children only. Nearly half of all carers (an estimated 518,700 persons) were employees in paid employment, with 73.8% of these permanent employees and 26.2% casual. In the 6 months to October 2002, an estimated 39,500 or 7.6% of carers who are employees made a change in employment in order to care for someone. In October 2002, there were an estimated 48,700 women, who were employees, aged 18-54 with a child under the age of 6 years who had taken some form of maternity leave in the last 5 years. For further information contact Robyn MacDonald on 07 3222 6232 or robyn.macdonald@abs.gov.au. ABS Information on the Desktop of Queensland Government Staff All Queensland Government employees now have on-line desktop access to all ABS releases. The ABS@ service (known as ABS Data to Queensland State Government) includes:
Consultancies commissioned by Queensland Government entities are put in the ABS@ container. This gives all Queensland Government employees access to the data. The consultancy container can also be used to store data obtained from other sources. It is anticipated that local government authorities will have access to this service in the near future. Lynn Collins at the Office of Economic and Statistical Research is coordinating the inclusion of local government. The URL for Queensland Government employees to connect to their Datahub is: http://datahub.govnet.qld.gov.au. Here a link will be found to ABS Data. Alternatively, the other path for Queensland government users is:
2 Click on the GovInfo button 3 Click on Datahub. 4 Click on ABS Data. For further information contact Garry Wylie on 07 3222 6111 or garry.wylie@abs.gov.au.
The ABS Subscription Service Is Changing! From 1 January 2004, the ABS will be making some changes to its subscription service, in line with the increasing demand by clients for electronic publications from the ABS, including acquisition via e-commerce on our web site <www.abs.gov.au>. To coincide with these changes, a broader range of products will become available via e-commerce and a free email notification service will allow you to receive regular updates about releases of interest to you. We will also continue to release free information such as main findings from many ABS surveys and other summary data on our web site. Changes to the subscription service will have a minimal impact on State Government users as the Queensland Government subscribes to the ABS@ service (known as ABS Data through GovNet). The major changes are:
Your options for accessing ABS releases with effect from 1 January 2004 are:
For further information on the new subscription service contact 1300 366 323 or email subscriptions@abs.gov.au. A Comprehensive Guide to Trends and Smoothing Time Series The ABS has been publishing trend estimates for main economic indicators and other time series for many years, and has been encouraging users to focus on the ABS trend estimates along with seasonally adjusted estimates. A Guide to Interpreting Time Series - Monitoring Trends (cat. no. 1349.0) was released on 4 August 2003 and is available free on the ABS web site. State Government employees can access a free copy through the Datahub on Govnet. This 148 page information paper explains why, in ABS publications, the main features and commentaries sections concerning most time series are increasingly emphasising the trend series rather than the seasonally adjusted or original data and explains the statistical concepts and notions that underpin the statistical procedures employed by the ABS to obtain trend estimates. This paper will help users appreciate the usefulness of trend estimates, assist ABS clients to understand trend estimate methodology and aid in interpreting time series effectively. It explains why trend estimates are a better guide to substantive movements in a series and are generally more suitable for most business planning decisions and policy advice and how trend estimates may be used effectively for informed decision making. It is not intended as a complete technical reference, but does describe in some detail the smoothing techniques used to produce the trend estimates, the effects of different filters and the end point problem. For further information contact Mark Zhang on 02 6252 5132 or mark.zhang@abs.gov.au. Development of an Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations An important project to review the Australian Standard Classification of Occupations, Second Edition (ASCO) and the New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations 1999 (NZSCO) is currently in progress. The aim is to provide an up-to-date picture of a rapidly changing labour market and to reflect contemporary and future user needs. The project is being undertaken jointly by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) and Statistics New Zealand (SNZ) with assistance from the Commonwealth Department of Employment and Workplace Relations. A joint publication is expected to be produced - the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) - which will also be available electronically on the ABS and SNZ websites. It is envisaged that ANZSCO will be implemented in relevant ABS and SNZ statistical collections from 2006 onwards. Two rounds of discussions with stakeholders in Australia and New Zealand have been undertaken - in September/October 2002 and July/August 2003. In mid-August the Australian and New Zealand project team will consider the outcomes of the most recent stakeholder and reference group consultations on the conceptual models, with the aim of producing a first draft of the classification structure by the end of this year. This structure will then be presented to reference groups and stakeholders in the 2004 consultations expected to take place in mid-2004. No major changes to the key concepts underpinning the classification are proposed. The concepts of job and occupation will not be changed, although some improvements to the words used to explain these concepts may be considered, including reconciling differences in the definitions of these concepts between Australia and New Zealand. The concepts of skill level and skill specialisation will continue to be used to organise occupations into progressively larger groups, and a five-level hierarchy similar to that used in the Australian Standard Classification of Occupations (ASCO) Second Edition (cat. no. 1220.0). This publication is available free on the ABS web site. Background information on the development of ANZSCO and papers on the earlier consultation rounds can be found on the ANZSCO Discussion Forum. To participate in the discussion forums, follow the link and register as a participant. For further information contact Wendy Piper on 02 6252 7626 or social.classifications@abs.gov.au. Australia’s Environment: Issues and Trends 2003 The second edition of Australia's Environment: Issues and Trends (cat. no. 4613.0) was released on 31 July 2003. The main topics covered are the environmental impacts of agriculture, forestry, mining and waste. Subjects within these topics include the environmental consequences of changing trends in agriculture for land use, crops grown and water consumption, the economic, environmental and social values of forests, carbon storage in Australia’s forests, production of forest products and social factors such as tourism and employment, environmental impacts of mining such as land disturbance, air and water pollution, energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions and quantities, disposal methods and treatment of waste. Two other chapters focus on measuring environmental values and comparing resource consumption between populations using the 'ecological footprint', an estimation of the amount of biologically productive land needed to maintain the current lifestyle of the population. This edition of Australia’s Environment: Issues and Trends takes a close look at a number of ways in which Australia’s natural resources and environmental assets may be measured or valued - both in monetary and non-financial terms. The publication covers techniques used to estimate environmental values in monetary terms, the incorporation of natural assets on the national balance sheet, environmental protection expenditure, non-financial environmental values, environmental accounting, the role of indicators and the concept of eco-efficiency. For further information contact Bernard Morrison on 02 6252 5321 or bernard.morrison@abs.gov.au. Social Capital The ABS has continued to progress development of the measurement of social capital. A workshop was held in June 2003 at ABS House in Canberra to discuss appropriate indicators for social capital. The indicators presented to the workshop were chosen to reflect the various elements of the ABS Social Capital Framework. The workshop participants were drawn from a wide range of policy and program areas in government (Commonwealth and state), as well as non-government organisations and academics in the field. A further workshop was held in June 2003 in Brisbane with participants from the Office of Economic and Statistical Research, other Queensland government agencies, local government, non-government organisations and academics. Discussion at both workshops centred on evaluating the most appropriate and highest priority indicators from a suggested range presented to the workshops. Release of an information paper, Measuring Social Capital: An Australian Framework and Indicators (cat. no. 1378.0), which presents the ABS Social Capital Framework and a proposed set of social capital indicators, is anticipated for December 2003. For more information contact Julia Graczyk on 02 6252 6108 or julia.graczyk@abs.gov.au. Rockhampton Statistical District Rockhampton city continues to grow and develop. A new and extended statistical district boundary for Rockhampton has been set. A statistical district represents a city in its widest sense and is designed to contain expected urban growth for the next 20 years. The map below shows the area around Rockhampton and the insets show the changes between the Australian Standard Geographical Classification (ASGC) boundaries for 2002 and 2003.
The boundaries of Rockhampton statistical district have been extended in the following ways:
For further information contact Maria Shpakoff on 07 3222 6321 or maria.shpakoff@abs.gov.au. Indigenous Social Survey Enumeration of the first Indigenous Social Survey (ISS) was completed in April 2003. Information was collected by personal interview from Indigenous people aged 15 years and over throughout Australia, including those living in remote and very remote areas. The ISS will provide a range of information relating to the social, health and economic circumstances and cultural participation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Topics included in the ISS are: housing, education, employment, transport and mobility, health, sport, family and community, information technology, culture, crime and justice, and income. Items included in the health topic are self-assessed health status, disability status, smoker status, alcohol consumption and substance use. At the broader level the ISS will allow the exploration of relationships between various dimensions of social concern such as health, housing, education and employment. The ISS has many data items in common with the 2002 General Social Survey (GSS) which will enable comparisons with the broader Australian population. It also has data items in common with the 1994 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Survey (NATSIS), making it possible to analyse changes over time. Initial results from the ISS are expected by the end of this year. A summary of key issues will also be available on the ABS web site. For further information contact Grazyna Majchrzak-Hamilton on 02 6252 5055 or graz.hamilton@abs.gov.au. Indigenous Health Survey 2004-05 The Indigenous Health Survey (IHS) 2004-05 is to be collected over 12 months from July 2004 to June 2005. This is the first time a large scale stand-alone survey on Indigenous health will be conducted by the ABS. In 2001, an Indigenous supplement of 3,198 persons (NHS(I)) was conducted as part of the National Health Survey (NHS) and collected data in both remote and non-remote areas of Australia. This supplementary sample was combined with the 483 Indigenous Australians selected as part of the main NHS, giving a total sample of 3,681 Indigenous Australians. The initial results were released in November 2002 in the publication National Health Survey: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Results, Australia, 2001 (cat. no. 4715.0). A confidentialised unit record file from this survey is expected to be released through the remote access data laboratory around November 2003. In 2004-05, the sample size for the IHS will be substantially increased to produce a more comprehensive picture of Indigenous health and to allow state and territory level estimates. As in the 2001 NHS(I), data will be collected in both remote and non-remote areas of Australia. Much of the survey content for the 2004-05 IHS will be the same as in the 2004-05 NHS to allow comparisons between the health characteristics of Indigenous and non-Indigenous persons. There will also be over 80% content in common with the previous 2001 NHS(I) to enable analysis of changes over time in Indigenous health. The 2004-05 IHS is being developed in consultation with a reference group representing a range of Indigenous, health, research, government and community organisations. In the survey, an emphasis will be placed on the health areas of greatest concern for Indigenous Australians. The first meeting of the reference group was held in February 2003 and ongoing consultation is providing valuable input on the content for the survey. Pretesting of new topics for the IHS was conducted recently in June and early July in both remote and non-remote areas. The pilot test for the IHS is due to go in to the field at the end of October 2003 in remote and non-remote areas, with the dress rehearsal planned for February 2004. The initial results of the 2004-05 IHS are expected to be released early in 2006. For further information contact David Zago on 02 6252 7566 or david.zago@abs.gov.au. Unknown Indigenous Status and Census Undercount Census counts The census is the primary source of small area socio-demographic data on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The Indigenous population is initially identified with the question ‘Is the person of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander origin?’. In cases where the question on Indigenous origin is unanswered, or where the ABS cannot obtain forms from persons identified in the field, Indigenous status is unknown. It is assumed that some of the people who did not answer the question on Indigenous origin in the 2001 Census were Indigenous, although the actual proportion is not known. The non-response rate for the Indigenous origin question was 2.0% in the last Census. When census forms are not returned for people identified in the field, some information is imputed. The proportion of the Australian population represented by imputed records was 2.1% in the 2001 Census. Again, some of these imputed records would probably relate to Indigenous persons, although the proportion who were actually Indigenous is not known. Taken together, records where Indigenous status was unknown represented 4.1% of the Australian population. The number of people for whom Indigenous status was unknown (767,757) was higher than the number of people identified as Indigenous (410,003). Estimated Resident Indigenous Population To produce estimates of the resident Indigenous population, the records with Indigenous status ‘unknown’ are allocated Indigenous origin according to the ratio of the Indigenous response to the total stated responses, although some explicit corrections are made. This allocation was made separately for males and females by age groups and form type, for each statistical local area. A total of 16,648 people were imputed to be Indigenous, using this method (2.2% of all unknown records). While every effort is made to ensure full coverage of people and dwellings in the census, in Australia more people are missed from the census than are counted more than once. The net effect is called net undercount. To measure net undercount of the Australian population in the census the ABS conducts a post enumeration survey (PES) shortly after the census. The PES is a sample survey that aims to provide an independent check of the census coverage. The resulting measure of net undercount is applied to census usual residence counts in deriving population estimates. All PES respondents were asked to report the Indigenous status of persons in their household. Although the PES sample was not designed specifically to include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, it included a small sample of Indigenous residents in private dwellings in non-sparsely settled areas. The Indigenous net undercount rate of about 6.1% was applied to all geographic areas in deriving the Indigenous population estimates. No separate undercount rate was derived for sparsely settled areas. For further information contact Andrew Webster on 02 6252 5583 or andrew.webster@abs.gov.au. Stratified Sampling When a survey is taken by the ABS, the accuracy of the results depends principally on one thing - how accurately the sample represents the population from which it has been taken. The final estimate is subject to two forms of error, non-sampling error (which may be caused by errors in coding or processing or failure to include all relevant units in the base population) and sampling error which occurs by chance because a sample has been taken. Non-sampling errors are kept to a minimum by care and attention to detail at every stage of the survey, while sampling error remains, even if the non-sampling error is zero. Sampling error depends mainly on two things, the size of the sample and the variability between units in the survey population. Factors which may affect sampling error include sample design and estimation procedures for imperfect responses. In survey design, determining the sample size of each survey is a juggling act between the degree of accuracy desired and the cost of collecting and processing. Increasing the sample size, however, is an expensive way of increasing survey accuracy. Fortunately, there is a method of reducing the relative standard error of a sample which does not need huge increases in sample size and expense, but it entails some prior knowledge about the population being sampled. Stratified sampling involves reducing the variability between units in the sample by dividing the population into sub-populations or strata in which units are similar in terms of the variable of interest. Variables by which units might be stratified include size (employment size or turnover size), state or others relevant to the particular survey (e.g. year of manufacture in the survey of motor vehicle use). The minimum sample size required to achieve the desired relative standard error target is then mathematically determined for each stratum. The sample for each stratum is then randomly chosen. Usually, the largest businesses are counted in full as they have the largest effect on all statistical aggregates other than number. Stratified sampling is the usual way of conducting business surveys in the ABS as it is cost-efficient. Dividing the population into strata in which units are more alike decreases the variance which occurs in each subsample. The total number of units needed to achieve any given target relative standard error is thus less than for simple random sampling and the cost similarly reduced. Conversely, for a given expenditure and a given sample size, more accurate results are obtained. For any ABS survey, details of the size of the standard error of the survey can be found in the technical notes or explanatory notes of the publication. For the labour force survey, a table of standard errors is published. Should you need advice on the conduct of a survey please contact us. The ABS can assist with advice on everything from frame design to collection and processing. For further information contact Robyn MacDonald on 07 3222 6232 or robyn.macdonald@abs.gov.au. The eCensus: An Internet Challenge The ABS recently called for expressions of interest from IT specialists to develop the Australian eCensus Internet form for the next Census of Population and Housing in 2006. A partnership is being sought with a group with IT expertise sufficient to help develop the complete eCensus solution, covering form development and provision of infrastructure (including hardware and support). Key challenges facing the successful tenderer include:
The aim of the eCensus is to give the public a choice of completing the 2006 Census form on the Internet or traditional paper form, which will still be available to the public in 2006. The eCensus has the potential to improve data collection, especially where collectors face challenges in collecting completed forms, such as secure apartment buildings and in rural Australia. This collection method will lead to faster processing, giving the community and decision-makers access to the results earlier. The census is the largest collection the ABS undertakes and the eCensus is an exciting challenge for 2006. For further information contact David Nauenburg on 02 6252 5490 or david.nauenberg@abs.gov.au.
If you wish to subscribe to Statistical Update and receive it free of charge to your computer or change your subscription in any way, please contact Arthur Poulter on 07 3222 6084 or arthur.poulter@abs.gov.au. Document Selection These documents will be presented in a new window.
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