1003.0 - LEP Newsletter (Issue No. 56), May 2006  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 08/03/2006   
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Spotlight on the Census...

Every five years the ABS counts the number of people who live in Australia, finding out how they live and what they do. As we are fast approaching the next Census on 8 August, LIW provides an excellent opportunity to help raise your clients' awareness of this very important Australian event. Here are some ideas to help you ...

Promoting the Census...

  • Invite your clients to a Census Awareness session. Talk to your LEP Coordinator .
  • Mount a display
- Use the ABS LIW kit or ask us for materials. Use Census print publications from your collection, including the Social Atlas for your capital city
- Focus on earlier census data for your local area. How has the community changed?
- Ask us for a banner or display stand (supplies are limited – so get in quick)
  • Run a Census Quiz. We can send you a prize. Use the FAQs on the Census web pages
  • Provide a link to the ABS web site and direct users to the Census’ link.
For more ideas check out the Shortcuts section.

Census data is vital!

Some uses:
  • As a source of detailed data about small local areas
  • To support the planning, administration and policy development activities of government, business, researchers and community users
  • To determine the number of seats in the House of Representatives
  • To allocate Commonwealth funding to the States & Territories
  • As a basis for many regular ABS products, including population estimates, employment/unemployment statistics, etc.

A touch of Census history …
  • The first known census was taken by the Babylonians in 3800 BC, nearly 6000 years ago
  • Our modern Australian Census is directly descended from the colonial musters of 200 years ago, when convicts and settlers were counted on Sundays so administrators knew how many people had to be fed
  • Patterns in the 1911-1933 census data led to the discovery of the link between rubella and birth abnormalities

Census information resources...

These include:
  • The Census web page. From www.abs.gov.au, select ‘Census’
- Check out all the 2006 Census links on the left hand side including FAQs
- Census Reference and Information link for a range of useful information
- For students: use the CensusAtSchool icon on the right hand side
LEP Excellence Award: include all your promotional activities in your entry. Entries close on 31 July 2006.