FAQs

What is the Review about?
The National Agricultural Statistics Review (NASR) seeks to identify opportunities to improve the national agricultural statistical information system and develop a framework for ongoing assessment, coordination and governance of information needs into the future.


Who is undertaking the Review?
The NASR is a joint project between the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) and the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES).


What does the review aim to achieve?
The review will identify:

• priority information requirements of stakeholders
• where those information needs are not met by existing data sources
• overlaps and inconsistencies in existing information requirements
• opportunities for efficiencies in the national agricultural statistical information system

What is the national agricultural information system?
The national agricultural statistical information system is the ‘agriculture’ component of the Australian statistical system. The national statistical system is the grouping of organisations within Australia that collect, process and disseminate official statistics (government statistics).

In order to gain a holistic picture of the statistics collected, produced and used for decision making on enduring agricultural issues, the NASR’s scope is not limited by official statistics.


What are ‘agricultural statistical assets’ considered to be?
Agricultural statistical assets are the statistics, as well as the datasets that they are drawn from (where they exist).

Agricultural statistics are broadly taken to mean the data, information, statistics or other knowledge that can be used to provide insights into agricultural activity. In scope are:

• ABS censuses and surveys
• ABARES farm, fisheries and forestry surveys
• commissioned research
• reports containing information, data or statistics
• administrative data
• datasets residing in any agency's databases
• data and statistics

Why are non-official statistics in-scope of the NASR?
In order to gain a holistic picture of the statistics collected, produced and used for decision making with respect to agriculture, the NASR’s scope is not limited by official statistics.

This means that in additional to official agricultural statistics which are collected and produced by Australian and state/territory governments and agencies, statistical assets collected and produced by non-government organisations are also in-scope of the NASR.


How do I make a submission?
The NASR submission process is open to individuals, groups and organisations. For more information about the submission process please see How to make a submission.


How can I hear more about the NASR and its progress?
Progress updates for the NASR will be provided across the 2013-14 financial year through the ABS website and via the NASR’s email contact list.

To stay in touch with the NASR’s progress and for further information about the NASR, please see the contact information in How to make a submission.


Will the report be available to the public and if so, how can it be accessed?
The Review report will be made available to the public via the ABS website. Further information on accessing the report will be made available closer to the publication of the report.


What will happen after the NASR?
The NASR will make recommendations on the national agricultural statistical information system. The Australian government, in consultation with stakeholders, will then decide how they address the recommendations.