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NAME OF COLLECTION
Business Expectations Survey

Contact
Assistant Director
Data Management and Dissemination
Economy Wide Statistics Section
Australian Bureau of Statistics
Locked Bag 10
BELCONNEN ACT 2616

Telephone: Canberra 1800 020 536
Facsimile: Canberra 1800 999 310
Email: client.services@abs.gov.au
Web site: <www.abs.gov.au>

Purpose
The Business Expectations Survey (BES) is a quarterly survey which provides data on the expectations of businesses in both the short (next three months) and medium terms (the current quarter of the following year) for a range of indicators.

Description
The BES samples businesses in all industries except agriculture, forestry and fishing; general government; and private households. Expectations are provided by respondents as percentage changes between a constant period and two future periods. Expectations are published at an aggregate level as weighted net balances or expected aggregate changes, with the expected aggregate change being the preferred expectations measure. These data are classified by industry, business size and state or territory.

To collect the data, a mail questionnaire is used. The survey conducted for the June quarter 2002 was based on a stratified random sample of approximately 3,800 businesses.

Main data detail
Data items available for the mining industry are expectations for:

• operating income;
• selling prices;
• profit;
• capital expenditure;
• inventories;
• employment;
• wage and salary expenses;
• other labour expenses;
• other operating expenses; and
• total operating expenses.

Frequency of data availability
Quarterly. The ABS will cease compilation and publication of statistics on Australian Business Expectations following the release of the March 2003 issue on 19 December 2002.

Reference period
Quarters ended 31 March, 30 June, 30 September and 31 December.

Historical data
Data are available from the December quarter 1993.

Products and services
Publication

• Australian Business Expectations (cat. no. 5250.0)

• Special data services are available on request.

		Expected aggregate change over the previous quarter
Business performance indicators		Jun qtr 2001 %	Sep qtr 2001 %	Dec qtr 2001 %	Mar qtr 2002 %	Jun qtr 2002 %
Trading performance
	Operating income	1.9	0.7	-3.5	-2.5	-0.8
	Selling prices	0.8	-0.7	-0.6	-2.5	0.7
	Profit	-8.5	6.4	-19.8	-15	-5.9
Investment
	Capital expenditure	6.3	4.4	2.6	-1.2	8.4
	Inventories	-1.0	-0.8	1.5	0.8	1.0
Employment
	Full-time equivalent	0.0	-0.9	-2.1	-0.2	-0.9
Operating expenses
	Wages	0.5	0.1	-0.9	1.0	-0.4
	Non-wage labour	0.1	0.5	-0.4	0.0	-0.4
	Other	1.1	-0.5	-1.4	-0.6	0.6
	Total	1.0	-0.4	-1.3	-0.4	0.5