4307.0.55.001 - Apparent Consumption of Alcohol, Australia, 2009-10 Quality Declaration 
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 03/06/2011   
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EXPLANATORY NOTES


INTRODUCTION

1 This publication provides estimates of apparent consumption of alcohol based on the availability of alcoholic beverages in Australia. It provides estimates of the quantity of pure alcohol available for consumption from beer, wine, spirits, and Ready to Drink (pre-mixed) beverages (RTDs), plus estimates of the total volume of beer and wine available for consumption.

2 Also provided are estimates of apparent per capita consumption for each of the above alcoholic beverages, for the population aged 15 years and over. This population is consistent with international standards for measuring trends in apparent consumption over time. See paragraphs 23 and 24 for information regarding population estimates.

3 Given the assumptions used to estimate the amount of pure alcohol in wine, and volume data for beer, the data is most useful as a guide to trends in alcohol consumption in Australia.

4 Data are available at the national level only. Data are not available by particular demographic characteristics (such as state/territory, region, age, sex or country of birth). As such, it is not possible to account for any effect that changes in the age structure of the population over time may have had on the apparent consumption of alcohol in Australia.


CHANGES IN THIS PUBLICATION

5 Previous issues of this publication presented data for relatively short time periods (typically 2 to 4 years). As a result of the release of Apparent Consumption of Alcohol: Extended Time Series, 1944-45 to 2008-09 (cat. no. 4307.0.55.002) in January 2011, the datacube included in this publication now incorporates data back to 1944-45. For more information on data sources used in the compilation of the extended time series, see the Explanatory Notes to that publication.


SCOPE AND COVERAGE

6 The scope of this collection is beer, wine, spirits and RTDs available for consumption. Other alcoholic beverages which do not fall within this group, for example, ciders, are not included.

7 Data for beer, wine, spirits and RTDs are collected from import clearances via the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service (ACBPS), excise tariff data from the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) (which only applies to alcohol sold in Australia), and domestic sales of Australian produced wine from winemakers. Data for beer and wine also contain an estimated component for home production.

8 It should be noted that estimates of 'apparent consumption' are derived using information related to supply (that is, data on domestic sales of Australian produced wine, excise data on alcohol produced for domestic consumption, data on imports and an estimated component for home production), as opposed to actual consumption from a survey. No adjustments are made for:

  • changes in stocks;
  • duty-free alcohol imported by individual overseas travellers;
  • alcohol which is imported into Australia, cleared through a bonded warehouse and then subsequently re-exported; or
  • alcohol that has been stored or cellared, used in the preparation of food or discarded as waste.

9 All alcohol available for consumption in a particular year is therefore assumed to have been consumed in that year.

10 Import clearance data are used in this publication to measure the quantity of alcohol imported into Australia. Import clearances relate to goods which are brought into Australia directly for home consumption, plus goods cleared from a bonded warehouse (that is, goods cleared into the Australian market for home consumption following payment of duty). Refer to International Merchandise Trade, Australia: Concepts, Sources and Methods, 2001 (cat. no. 5489.0) for more information.

12 Data provided by the ATO are administrative by-product data collected for the levying of excise tariffs.

13 Data relating to domestic sales of Australian produced wine is obtained directly by the ABS from winemakers. See Shipments of Wine and Brandy in Australia by Australian Winemakers and Importers (cat. no. 8504.0) for more information.


BEER

14 Estimates of the volume and alcohol strength of beer available for consumption are obtained from import clearance data and excise data on Australian production, as well as an estimated amount for home production.

15 Changes were made to the excise data for beer provided by the ATO due to excise tariff reform in July 2006. Since then, only data on the dutiable quantity of alcohol in beer is provided to the ABS by the ATO. Data on the first 1.15% of alcohol in beer (which does not attract excise), and data on the total volume of beer, is no longer available, therefore this data is estimated using separate strength estimates for packaged and tap beer for each of the three beer strengths. This means the total quantity of alcohol and total volume of beer available for consumption, and apparent per capita consumption for beer, may not be directly comparable with data before 2006–07. The table below shows the average alcohol strengths of domestically produced beers for 2004-05 to 2009-10.

ALCOHOL CONTENT OF DOMESTICALLY PRODUCED BEER, 2004-05 to 2009-10

Alcohol strength (%)

2004-05
2005-06
2006-07
2007-08
2008-09
2009-10

Packaged beer
Low strength
2.69
2.71
2.70
2.73
2.72
2.70
Mid strength
3.48
3.48
3.48
3.50
3.50
3.50
Full strength
4.76
4.75
4.75
4.72
4.69
4.63
Bulk beer
Low strength
2.68
2.69
2.68
2.68
2.65
2.59
Mid strength
3.50
3.50
3.50
3.50
3.50
3.50
Full strength
4.68
4.67
4.67
4.65
4.64
4.61


16 As a result of excise tariff reform in July 2006, beer brewed on commercial premises for non-commercial purposes was not separately identified previously was introduced to the ATO collection. Beer less than 3%volume of alcohol is included in low strength beer, while beer greater than 3% volume of alcohol is included in full strength beer (as the amount of mid strength beer brewed on commercial premises for non-commercial purposes is negligible).


ALCOHOL CONTENT OF BEER, included in type of beer

Beer strengthTotal volume
Low strengthBeer with an alcohol volume >1.15% and =<3.0%, and beer brewed on commercial premises for non-commercial purposes with an alcohol volume <3.0%.
Mid strengthBeer with an alcohol volume >3.0% and =<3.5%.
Full strengthBeer with an alcohol volume >3.5%, and beer brewed on commercial premises for non-commercial purposes with an alcohol volume >3.0%.


17 Prior to 2008-09, figures for beer included an estimated component for home production which was based on the survey Home Production of Selected Foodstuffs, Australia (cat. no. 7110.0), conducted in 1992. After a review into the estimated component for home production, incorporating advice from the industry, the estimate for the home production of beer was marginally increased from 2.1% of total beer available for consumption to 2.2%.


WINE

18 In preparing the 2008–09 issue of Apparent Consumption of Alcohol, ABS undertook a comprehensive review of the alcohol content of wine in recognition of the effect that changing environmental conditions, industry practices and consumer preferences have had on wine. The review resulted in an increase of 1.9 percentage points for the average alcohol content of table wine, from 10.8% to 12.7% (12.2% and 13.4% for white and red table wines, respectively). The alcohol strength of sparkling and carbonated wine also increased while the alcohol content of vermouth decreased.

19 Research by the Australian Wine Research Institute (Godden and Gishen, 2005) indicates that, overall, the average alcohol content of wines in Australia have increased since the mid 1980s. As a result, for the publication, Apparent Consumption of Alcohol: Extended Time Series, 1944–45 to 2008–09 (cat. no. 4307.0.55.002), assumptions used in the calculation of alcohol in table wine were revised back to 1980-81. This was done by interpolating between the previous assumption for alcohol content of table wine (10.8% in 1979-80) and the new level (around 12.7% for red and white wine combined, in 2008-09). As volumes of red and white wine are available from 2000-01 onwards, separate assumptions were made for red and white wine for these years. Similarly, the alcohol content of sparkling wines was assumed to increase linearly between 1979-80 (10.6%) and 2008-09 (11.2%). The same time series data for wine is used in this annual publication. Assumed concentrations of alcohol in wine for the previous 6 years are listed in the following table.

ALCOHOL CONTENT OF WINE, 2007-08 to 2009-10

Alcohol strength (%)

2004-05
2005-06
2006-07
2007-08
2008-09
2009-10

Fortified
17.9
17.9
17.9
17.9
17.9
17.9
Sparkling and carbonated
10.6
10.6
10.6
10.6
11.2
11.2
Table wine (total)
12.6
12.6
12.6
12.7
12.8
12.8
Table wine (white)
12.0
12.0
12.1
12.1
12.2
12.2
Table wine (red)
13.1
13.2
13.2
13.3
13.4
13.4
Vermouth
17.3
17.3
17.3
17.3
16.4
16.4
Other wine not elsewhere included
14.4
14.4
14.4
14.4
14.4
14.4


SPIRITS

20 For spirits and RTDs the amount of alcohol available for consumption is only available as the quantity of pure alcohol. Data are obtained from import clearance data from the ACBPS and excise data on domestic production of spirits from the ATO, 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 estimates have been obtained from the ATO. In previous years, excise data was obtained from the ACBPS.


READY TO DRINK (PRE-MIXED BEVERAGES)

21 RTDs can include spirit based, wine based and other unspecified based products.

22 Import clearance data used to estimate RTD's are distilled alcoholic beverages not elsewhere specified and spirituous beverages not elsewhere specified (both having an alcoholic strength by volume exceeding 1.15% but not exceeding 10%).


POPULATION ESTIMATES USED IN CALCULATING APPARENT PER CAPITA CONSUMPTION

23 Apparent per capita consumption data included in this publication are calculated by dividing the quantity available for consumption by the estimated resident population of Australia of persons aged 15 years and over in Australia at 31 December each year.

24 For more information on population estimates see Australian Demographic Statistics (cat. no. 3101.0).


CONFIDENTIALITY

25 The Census and Statistics Act 1905 provides the authority for the ABS to collect statistical information, and requires that statistical output shall not be published or disseminated in a manner that is likely to enable the identification of a particular person or organisation. This requirement means that the ABS must take care and make assurances that any statistical information about individual respondents cannot be derived from published data.


ROUNDING OF DATA

26 Percentage movements have been calculated using un-rounded numbers, and may be different from movements obtained from the rounded numbers presented in the tables.


ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

27 ABS publications draw extensively on information provided freely by individuals, business, governments and other organisations. Their continued cooperation is very much appreciated; without it, the wide range of statistics published by the ABS would not be available. Information received by the ABS is treated in strict confidence as required by the Census and Statistics Act 1905.


RELATED PRODUCTS

28 Other ABS products which may be of interest to users include:
29 ABS products and publications are available free of charge from the ABS website <https://www.abs.gov.au>. Click on Statistics to gain access to the full range of ABS statistical or reference information.


ADDITIONAL STATISTICS AVAILABLE

30 As well as the statistics included in this and related publications, the ABS may have other relevant data available on request. Enquiries should be made to the National Information and Referral Service on 1300 135 070 (email: client.services@abs.gov.au).