APPENDIX - SURVEY CHANGES
2000-01 SURVEY CHANGES
From 2000-01, this publication, Electricity, Gas, Water and Sewerage Operations, Australia, will only present electricity, gas, water and sewerage industries data based on information collected solely from businesses (i.e. management units) classified to these industries. Prior to 2000-01, data were presented on both management units and establishments for the electricity and gas industries, and on management units for the water and sewerage industry. This reflects the change in scope of the Economic Activity Survey underpinning this publication. From 2000-01, data are no longer collected from establishments in the electricity and gas industries.
It should be noted that the activity levels reflected by the statistics for management units are quite similar to the activity levels reflected by the statistics for establishments. Where differences do occur, it will generally be because the management unit statistics exclude electricity or gas supply establishments operated by management units which are classified to other industries, or include establishments classified to other industries.
These differences vary between items. They range from 1% to 8% in 1999-2000.
SURVEY CHANGES FROM 2001-02
In April 2000, the ABS released an information paper, ABS Statistics and the New Tax System (TNTS) (cat. no. 1358.0). The paper foreshadowed changes which would occur during 2002 to the infrastructure used by the ABS to support compilation of ABS economic statistical series. Most of the changes directly impact on the ABS Business Register which contains a list of businesses from which samples are selected to collect data for the economic series. The series will be impacted by the changes in the following ways:
- the population of businesses that are considered to be employing based on taxation information, has changed as a result of TNTS;
- the statistical units model, that is, the way in which business structures are represented on the ABS Business Register, is being more closely aligned with taxation reporting requirements;
- the ATO has classified some businesses differently from the ABS, for example to different industries; and
- different measures of business size are available.
Another information paper, Improvements in ABS Economic Statistics (Arising from the New Tax System (cat. no. 1372.0) was released on 6 May 2002. This paper describes the changes in more detail and their treatment in the statistical series. It is available on the ABS website under Products and Services.
The Economic Activity Survey, including the electricity, gas, water and sewerage operations component, is one of the statistical series affected by these changes. From the 2001-02 collection, this survey will be producing estimates on this new basis.
In the next publication, Electricity, Gas, Water and Sewerage Operations, Australia, estimates for 2001-02 will be compiled on the new basis. To facilitate comparisons over time, this publication will also include estimates for 2000-01 for indicative variables on the new basis as well as on the old basis. Financial data by state and territory will be provided for a select number of key variables.
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