1308.7 - Inform NT, Dec 2010  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 03/12/2010   
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2011 CENSUS

On this page:
Local Census Engagement Across Northern Australia
Census in Class
NT Government and ABS Census Coordination Team Working Together
Register of Interest for Area Supervisors and Collectors
'Census – Beyond the Count' Conference
Update to the Census Data Enhancement Project


LOCAL CENSUS ENGAGEMENT ACROSS NORTHERN AUSTRALIA

Michelle Milzewski, Census Local Engagement Manager for the Katherine area has recently been working on a joint recruitment campaign with Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education. Indigenous students from all corners of the country attend Batchelor Institute campuses in the Northern Territory. Recruitment for Census staff has proven to be quite challenging in the past, largely in rural and remote areas. The ABS together with Batchelor Institute will encourage Indigenous students to apply for Census positions in their local communities in 2011. Batchelor Institute is also exploring ways in which students can achieve academic outcomes from their Census 2011 experience.


CENSUS IN CLASS

As part of engagement with remote Indigenous communities, the Northern Australia Indigenous Engagement Managers (NA IEM's) have developed and tested a 'Census in Class' program aimed at educating the importance of Census to primary school children in upper primary (years 4 – 7). The purpose is to give the children an understanding of the Census, ensuring everyone is included on the Census form and that children are aware of the Census process and why the information is vital to planning for the future of their communities. Feedback from the schools where the 'Census in Class' was undertaken has been positive from both the teachers and the students. The activity involves students filling out the 'Census in Class' form and then as a group collating the information on a tally sheet and producing a story for the class including creating some graphs of the data.


NT GOVERNMENT AND ABS CENSUS COORDINATION TEAM WORKING TOGETHER

The NT Government and the ABS are working in partnership to support the 2011 Census. Larnie McClintock from NT Treasury and Rebecca Luxford the NT Government Liaison Officer for the ABS are collectively working on a Census recruitment project to raise awareness of upcoming employment opportunities for the 2011 Census amongst various NT Government agencies.

The recruitment project will be looking at placing suitable Census vacancies for NT Government staff, that will not impose with their current NT Government employment and responsibilities. For instance, Area Supervisor and Census Collector roles will most likely be promoted within the NT Government as these positions have the flexibility to be integrated into a daily routine or home life. In addition, other Census positions will also be available for people interested in working in remote Indigenous communities over a two to four week period as a Remote Area Mobile Team (RAMT) member.

With the Christmas and school holidays just around the corner it is envisaged Larnie and Rebecca will commence their Census recruitment presentations to the NT Government agencies early in the New Year.


REGISTER OF INTEREST FOR AREA SUPERVISORS AND COLLECTORS

Census has released a Register of Interest for Area Supervisor and Census Collector positions which can be accessed through the main ABS website. The register will allow applicants to record their interest in these roles and they will be contacted in early 2011 outlining further instructions on the application process for the vacancies.

Applications for Area Supervisors will open on 12 February 2011, and 9 April 2011 for Collectors. Information on how to apply for these positions will be widely advertised around these times, and is accessible on the recruitment pages of the ABS Website.


'CENSUS – BEYOND THE COUNT' CONFERENCE

In the lead up to the 2011 Census, the ABS will be hosting an exciting showcase event to promote the effective and innovative use of census data by government, community and private sector organisations. The 'Census | beyond the count' conference will be held in Melbourne from 2 – 4 March 2011. Speakers will be from a broad range of state, regional and local government bodies, charitable organisations and private institutions. If you or your organisation take census data beyond the count, we would love to hear from you. Visit the Census | beyond the count website or email beyondthecount@abs.gov.au to find out more. You can also follow developments on twitter @beyondthecount.


UPDATE TO THE CENSUS DATA ENHANCEMENT PROJECT

The Census Data Enhancement (CDE) project is a major project involving integrating unit record data from the Census of Population and Housing with other ABS and non-ABS datasets to create new datasets for statistical and research purposes. The project also adds value to data from the Census of Population and Housing by bringing it together with data from future Censuses.

Without compromising the privacy of individuals or the confidentiality of their data the CDE project delivers significant public benefits. The project facilitates:

  • improved information to support good governmental policy making, program evaluation and service delivery; and
  • an improved and expanded range of official statistics.

The project was first undertaken for the 2006 Census and the ABS intends to continue the project for the 2011 Census. Further information, including outcomes of the 2006 CDE project and plans for the continuation of the project for the 2011 Census can be found in Census Data Enhancement Project: An Update, Oct 2010 (cat. no. 2062.0).