Service Industry Surveys
Australian National Accounts (ANA) data are useful for making broad comparisons across industries to illustrate the economic importance of the cultural sector. However, the ANA does not have detailed information on the operations of each of the cultural industries. Such information is available from a series of ABS Service Industry Surveys (SIS) run over various years (2002-03, 2003-04, 2006-07 and 2007-08).
From 2003-04 SIS included employing and non-employing businesses. The earlier SIS included only employing businesses (unlike data for the ANA) and therefore do not reflect the activities of the whole industry. However, even though there are numerous businesses in Australia without employees, their overall contribution to economic activity is relatively small.
The most recent Museums Service Industry Survey (ABS 2009d) found that the museums industry had a total income of $998m in 2007-08.
According to the 2006-07 Service Industry Surveys, a number of cultural industries had incomes exceeding $1,000m in 2006-07, including commercial television broadcasting (with an operating income of $6,813m), subscription television services ($2,283m) and film and video production and post-production services ($2,028m).
6.4 INCOME AND VALUE ADDED, Selected cultural industries - 2002-03 to 2007-08 |
|
 | | | Total income | Value added |
| | | $m | $m |
|
| 2007-08 | | |
| Museums | 998 | na |
| 2006-07 | | |
| Performing arts operation | 733 | 282 |
| Performing arts venue operation | 494 | 207 |
| Film and video production and post production services | 2 028 | 886 |
| Television services(a) | | |
| | Commercial television broadcasting | 6 813 | 2 151 |
| | Subscription television services | 2 283 | 334 |
| 2003-04 | | |
| Libraries and archives | 948 | na |
| 2002-03 | | |
| Performing arts festivals | 89 | na |
|
| na not available |
| (a) Excludes public and community broadcasters. |
| Source: Museums, Australia, 2007-08 (cat. no. 8560.0); Performing Arts, Australia, 2002-03, 2006-07 (cat. no. 8697.0); Television, Film and Video Production and Post-Production Services, Australia, 2006-07 (cat. no. 8679.0); Public Libraries, Australia, 2003-04 (cat. no. 8561.0). |
| Note: Data from 2003-04 include non-employing units. Data prior to this do not. Care should be taken when comparing data across different times and industries. |
When making comparisons between the different sources of data it is important to take into consideration differences in the scope and methodology of the surveys. Each data source provides information on different aspects of cultural production and what information is required will determine what data source to use.
Data from the Australian National Accounts should be used if making broad comparisons across industries or when trying to value the cultural sector as a whole to the economy. On the other hand, SIS data are more appropriate for examining a particular industry in detail.
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