4307.0.55.001 - Apparent Consumption of Alcohol, Australia, 2006-07 (Reissue) Quality Declaration 
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 18/04/2008  Reissue
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EXPLANATORY NOTES

INTRODUCTION


1
This publication contains annual estimates of apparent alcohol consumption based on the availability of alcohol in Australia.

2
For beer and wine, estimates of total quantity available for consumption and apparent per person consumption for persons aged 15 years and over are included for both the products themselves and in terms of alcohol content. For spirits, estimates of total quantity available for consumption and apparent consumption are expressed in terms of alcohol content only. In the context of this publication, 'consumption' is not 'intake'. Available for consumption data are derived using information relating to supply which means that the data are an approximate estimate of alcohol available.

3
For this publication, import clearance data are used to measure the quantity of alcohol imported into Australia. Import clearances are those goods which are brought into Australia directly for home consumption, plus goods cleared from a bonded warehouse (i.e. goods cleared into the Australian market for home consumption following payment of duty) (International Merchandise Trade, Australia, Concepts, Sources and Methods, 2001. cat. no. 5489.0). Previous years' data, back to 1989–1990, are available on request. However, it should be noted that due to several changes to source data over the years, they may not be able to be provided on a strictly comparable basis. All requests for data should be directed, in the first instance, to the ABS National Information and Referral Service.

National Information and Referral Service
Phone: 1300 135 070 (National)
+61 2 9268 4909 (International)

Fax: 1300 135 211 (National)
+61 2 9268 4654 (International)

Email: client.services@abs.gov.au

Post: Client Services
Australian Bureau of Statistics
GPO Box 796
Sydney NSW 2001

SCOPE AND COVERAGE

4 The scope of this collection is beer, wine and spirits available for consumption. Other alcoholic beverages which do not fall within that group, e.g. ciders, are not included.

5 As a result of excise tariff reform in July 2006 new data items (for beer brewed on the premises) which were not provided in previous editions have been introduced to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) source data. The additional data items have been prorated across all beer strengths for this edition:

Beer strengthTotal Volume
Low strengthBeer with an alcohol volume >1.15% and =<3.0%, and beer brewed on the premises with an alcohol volume <3.0%.
Mid strengthBeer with an alcohol volume >3.0% and =<3.5%, and a prorated proportion of beer brewed on the premises with an alcohol volume >3.0%.
Full strengthBeer with an alcohol volume >3.5%, and a prorated proportion of beer brewed on the premises with an alcohol volume >3.0%.



6 The apparent consumption of beer and wine includes an estimated component for home production.

7
Alcohol intake from wine is derived from import clearance data and domestic sales of Australian produced wine assuming the following concentrations of alcohol:

Wine Type% Alcohol
Fortified17.9
Sparkling and carbonated10.6
Table wine10.8
Vermouth17.3
Other wine n.e.i.14.4

It should be noted that the actual alcohol content of wine varies greatly, even for similar wine products.

8
Alcohol intake from beer is obtained from import clearance data and excise data on Australian production. Since 2003–04 the excise data used in these calculations has been obtained from the ATO. In previous years excise data was obtained from the Australian Custom Service. As the non-excisable component of alcohol (the first 1.15% of pure alcohol content) was estimated by these Departments, data after 2003–04 may not be directly comparable with previous years.

9 Due to excise tariff reform in July 2006, there have been some changes to the excise beer data provided by the ATO for this edition of the publication (2006–07). As a result, the ABS has calculated the quantity and total alcohol content of beer in this edition using proportions of 2004–05 and 2005–06 excise data. As a result, the total quantity of alcohol available for consumption and apparent consumption per person for beer may not be directly comparable with data prior to 2004–05.

10 Alcohol intake from spirits is obtained from import clearance data and excise data on Australian production with an adjustment to account for the excise paid on imported spirits which are commercially mixed with locally manufactured soft drinks after importation. Since 2003–04 the excise data used in these calculations have been obtained from the Australian Taxation Office. In previous years excise data was obtained from the Australian Customs Service.

11 Excise tariff reform in July 2006 also affected the level of detail of spirit data. Ready to drink (RTD) data are now published separately. To facilitate comparisons over time, RTD data used in this edition, from 2004–05 and 2005–06, have been revised. The total for spirits excludes RTDs.

12
Due to the relatively small quantities involved, no adjustments have been made for alcohol which is imported into Australia, cleared through the bonded warehouse and then subsequently re-exported.

13
Apparent per person consumption data included in this publication are calculated by dividing the quantity available for consumption by the Estimated Resident Population of persons aged 15 years and over in Australia at 31 December each year.

14
Population data are derived from those published in Australian Demographic Statistics (cat. no. 3101.0). Figures are revised as more recent data become available.

15
The following table includes the estimated resident population of persons 15 years and over and the total population figure at 31 December. The number of people 15 years and over is used to calculate the apparent per person consumption in this issue:

Individual years at 31 December
Persons aged 15 years and over
Total Population
2004
16,243,585
20,257,054
2005
16,510,997
20,548,363
2006
16,790,934
20,852,368

16 Revised figures for apparent per person consumption (15 years and over) may also be due to revision in import clearance data in the amount of alcohol available for consumption. Revisions to quantities of beer and wine have been made after adjustments to import clearance codes used in the analysis of apparent consumption data.

17
Import clearance codes used to calculate the Ready To Drinks (RTD) available for consumption quantity are: 2208.90.2036 (distilled alcoholic beverages, n.e.s., having an alcoholic strength by volume exceeding 1.15% but not exceeding 10% volume) and 2208.90.2037 (spirituous beverages, n.e.s., having an alcoholic strength by volume exceeding 1.15% but not exceeding 10% volume).