Australian Bureau of Statistics
Celebrating the International Year of Statistics 2013

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Overseas Arrivals and Departures

Name of Collection
Overseas Arrivals and Departures

Contact
Manager
Overseas Arrivals and Departures Statistics
Demography Section
Australian Bureau of Statistics
PO Box 10
BELCONNEN ACT 2616

Telephone: Canberra 02 6252 6420
Facsimile: Canberra 02 6252 7494
Email: client.services@abs.gov.au
Internet: www.abs.gov.au

Purpose
To measure the number and characteristics of overseas arrivals and departures.

Description
Overseas arrivals and departures data are used to compile statistics on Australia's population, balance of payments and international tourism.

Persons arriving in, or departing from, Australia complete questionnaires in the form of Incoming and Outgoing Passenger cards. These cards, in conjunction with other data held by the Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, serve as the source of statistics on overseas arrivals and departures. All permanent movements and all movements with a duration of stay of one year or more are fully enumerated. Movements with a duration of stay of less than one year are sampled.

Data Detail
Data available include:

• Month of movement;
• Category of movement;
• Country of residence/main destination;
• Country of birth/citizenship;
• Country of embarkation/disembarkation;
• State of clearance/major port of clearance;
• State of residence/stay;
• Purpose of journey;
• Duration of stay; and
• Sex, age, marital status and occupation.