1379.0.55.001 - National Regional Profile, 1999-2003  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 29/03/2005   
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  • ABS Profiles to Help Local Communities (Media Release)

MEDIA RELEASE

March 29, 2005
Embargoed: 11:30 AM (AEST)
35/2005

ABS Profiles to Help Local Communities

Businesses, organisations and individuals can now get five years of key economic and social information about their local area, easily, free-of-charge and in one location - on this web site.

The ABS has expanded its National Regional Profile (NRP) to provide five years of data, spanning 1999 to 2003. It has also added indicators, including sources of income, motor vehicle sales, and the value of agricultural production.

Commenting on the usefulness of the NRP, a small business owner from Newcastle recently said : "[In viewing the NRP] I have learnt more that will help my business here in five minutes than I have at all the rest [of the Trade Show]."

Andrea Woods of the ABS Rural and Regional Statistics National Centre said that with the click of a button, people can get a picture of their local area through the NRP including population, births and deaths, unemployment, income support customers, taxable income, wage and salary earners, building approvals, sources of income and motor vehicle sales.

"People and organisations who need a snapshot of their local region now have access to more information and are able to see changes in their region over time. They also can compare their local area to other regions.

"The new profiles are available for most regions from Local Government Area up to national level."

ABS developed the NRP in response to requests for more accessible information on regions. It is intended that more indicators will be added in the future, to make the profiles even more comprehensive.

The National Regional Profile for different regions can be downloaded free from this link.