1292.0 - Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC), 2006 (Revision 1.0)  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 19/09/2008   
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MEDIA RELEASE

February 28, 2006
Embargoed 11:30am (AEST)
19/2006

Industry classification enters 21st century

The 2006 Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC) was released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) today. The classification provides a framework for organising data about businesses - by enabling grouping of business units carrying out similar productive activities. It has undergone many changes since first released in 1993 and was redeveloped by the ABS in collaboration with Statistics New Zealand.

The ABS uses ANZSIC in most of its economic collections and for compilation of the national accounts. A wide range of other users from government, academia and the private sector use the ANZSIC for financial, administrative and statistical purposes.

ANZSIC 2006 involved a substantial review of the classification, including extensive consultation with internal and external users and alignment with the upcoming revision of the International Standard Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities (ISIC, Revision 4). It consequently provides a more contemporary and internationally comparable industrial classification system. For example, a whole range of 'new economy' activities have been recognised, including: Internet publishing and broadcasting, provision of Internet access services, computer retailing and communication equipment manufacturing.

ANZSIC 2006 will be implemented by the ABS over the next four years. Data series based on the new classification will be adjusted to ensure comparability with past statistics.

More information is available in Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification 2006 (cat. no. 1292.0).