1300.1.55.001 - Statistics News NSW, Jun 2007  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 29/06/2007   
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COUNTS OF AUSTRALIAN BUSINESSES

A strategic issue identified by users of statistics in the 2005 National Statistical Priorities Paper (prepared by the SA ABS as a compilation of all states issues) was the need to profile business activity for various areas of the state.

On 26 February 2007, the ABS released a new publication, Counts of Australian Businesses, Including Entries and Exits (cat. no. 8165.0). This product presents business counts, including data measuring levels and rates of business entries to and exits from the Australian economy, and business survival. These data are sourced from the Australian Bureau of Statistics Business Register.

SURVIVAL OF BUSINESSES BY MAIN STATE (a): June 2003 - June 2006

Operating in
June 2003
Survived to
June 2004
Survival rateSurvived to
June 2005
Survival rateSurvived to June 2006Survival rate
no.no.%no.%no.%

New South Wales650 890547 54784.1471 77372.5417 88864.2
Victoria465 922 398 55485.5346 88474.5308 63066.2
Queensland358 339302 56384.4259 78672.5228 38463.7
South Australia135 477117 74086.9103 52776.492 24268.1
Western Australia185 858157 19984.6135 962 73.2120 03964.6
Tasmania35 15630 60787.126 95276.724 15268.7
Northern Territory13 65011 17381.99 45869.38 24860.4
Australian Capital Territory23 67719 58982.716 68170.514 682 62.0
Australia1 868 9691 584 97284.81 371 02373.41 214 26565.0

(a) Please refer Explanatory Notes for more information regarding businesses and their Main State of operation.
Source: Counts of Australian Businesses, Including Entries and Exits (cat. no. 8165.0)

This publication replaces two previous releases: Australian Bureau of Statistics Business Register, Counts of Businesses - Summary Tables (cat. no. 8161.0.55.001) and Experimental Estimates, Entries and Exits of Business Entities, Australia (cat. no. 8160.0.55.001). The counts presented in this publication are not comparable to those previously released.

The change in scope for Counts of Australian Businesses, including Entries and Exits means that only those units which are actively trading in goods or services are included in the output. Specifically, the survey population excludes:
  • Entities which had an active ABN but which did not have a GST role; and
  • Business with a GST role which had not returned a Business Activity Statement (BAS) for more then five quarters or had returned a BAS but had reported zero dollar values.
Counts of Australian Businesses, including Entries and Exits is likely to be a much more accurate measure of businesses which actually commence (or recommence) or cease activity. The new Counts of Australian Businesses, including Entries and Exits scope is likely to result in estimates which gain much greater acceptance in the user community.

On 27 April 2007, a series of more detailed datacubes was released which provides users with cross-classified industry (2 digit ANZSIC), state and territory, and employment and turnover size range data. On 31 May 2007, another set of cross-classified datacubes was released, which includes postcode data as well as more detailed industry, state and territory and employment and annual turnover size range data.

Consistent with ABS progressive release policy for Counts of Australian Businesses, including Entries and Exits outputs, additional datacubes are being considered for release throughout 2007. Users will be kept up to date with regard to data availability through the ABS website.

The ABS is also looking to code each of the nearly two million businesses on the ABS Business Register (ABSBR) to the new Australian Statistical Geographical Classification (ASGC), using a technique known as "mesh-block coding". It is expected that this initiative will make it possible to produce high quality fine level sub-State data for users in future.

Details can be found on the Notes and the Explanatory Notes of the Counts of Australian Businesses, including Entries and Exits publication. For further information contact Ashley Bartlett on (02) 6252 5402, email clientservices@abs.gov.au.

In addition, the ABS recently released the following Discussion Paper: The first iteration of the Discussion Paper: The First Iteration of the Business Longitudinal Database, 2004–05 (cat. no. 8164.0). The aim of the Business Longitudinal Database (BLD) is to produce a reliable longitudinal dataset of both characteristics and financial data that will allow analyses of changes in the performance of a cohort of businesses over time. The BLD aims to increase understanding of:
  • the activities or factors that are relevant to business performance; and
  • the business characteristics that are associated with these activities or factors.
This overview is designed to encourage feedback from potential data users regarding the adequacy of business characteristics topics and financial variables currently contained in the BLD and, also, the possible ways in which firm-level productivity and other aspects of performance may be analysed.

For further information about this paper and related statistics, contact Helen Harkin on Canberra (02) 6252 6531, email clientservices@abs.gov.au.