ECONOMIC ACTIVITY SURVEY (ANNUAL)
PURPOSE
To provide information on the change in industry structure and performance over time as well as to enable the comparison of the performance of different industries. Information is available for culture and leisure industries.
DESCRIPTION
The Economic Activity Survey (EAS) collects details of profit and loss statements and balance sheets collected from selected businesses. The EAS directly collects information, by mail-out questionnaire, from a sample of businesses in the public trading and private employing sectors of the Australian economy. Businesses are asked to provide data in respect of the previous financial year ending on June 30th. In a minority of cases, where businesses do not account on a June-year basis, details are reported in respect of the accounting year which ended during the 12 months to the September closest to despatch of the questionnaires.
Administrative by-product data from the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) and the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) are incorporated with the directly collected survey data, thereby improving the coverage and quality of the data. For example, inclusion of the ATO data means that the survey covers non-employing businesses where it did not previously do so.
GEOGRAPHIC COVERAGE
Australia
FREQUENCY OF COLLECTION
Annual
DATA ITEMS
Industry
Businesses are classified according to the Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification. With the increased use of ATO data to supplement the EAS data, data are now being produced, on an experimental basis, at the 4-digit level. Data for the culture and leisure industries at the 4-digit level were available for the first time in respect of 1998-99. See ANZSIC codes related to culture and leisure for more information about the detail available.
Income
Sales of goods
Income from services
Rent, leasing and hiring income
Interest income
Royalties income
Funding from Federal, State/Territory and/or Local Government
Other operating income
Expenses
Over 30 expense items are collected, including:
Labour costs
Insurance premiums
Interest expenses
Depreciation
Bad or doubtful debts
Purchases
Computer software expensed
Fringe benefits tax
Payroll tax
Other operating expenses
Other selected indicators
Number of operating businesses
Employment
Operating profit before tax
Total assets
Total liabilities
Capital expenditure
Industry gross product
Industry value added
Business averages
Employment
Sales
Income
Expenses
Profit
Assets
Net worth
Gross product
Value added
Industry ratios
Profit margins
Return on assets
Return on net worth
Long term debt to equity
Interest coverage
Investment rate
Geographic area
Australia, States and Territories.
HISTORICAL DATA
The data were first collected in respect of 1990-91 and have been collected annually since.
DISSEMINATION
Publications
Australian Bureau of Statistics, Australian Industry, Cat. No. 8155.0, ABS, Canberra. Price $34.00. Released annually.
Australian Bureau of Statistics, Business Operations and Industry Performance, Australia, Cat. No. 8140.0, ABS, Canberra. Price $22.00. Released annually until 2000-01.
Other
Australian Bureau of Statistics, Summary of Industry Performance, Cat. No. 8140.0.55.002, electronic delivery.Free of charge. Released annually until 2000-01.
Australian Bureau of Statistics, Australian Industry: Summary of Industry Performance, Australia, Cat. No. 8155.0.55.002, electronic delivery. Free of charge. Released annually from 2002-03.
National Sport and Recreation Industry Database and Directory (NSRIDD).
CONTACT
In the first instance, refer to To obtain data or further information in the Introduction to this directory.
Assistant Director
Economy Wide Statistics
Australian Bureau of Statistics
Locked Bag 10
BELCONNEN ACT 2616
Telephone: Canberra 02 6252 5454
Facsimile: 1800 999 310
Email: client.services@abs.gov.au