Australian Bureau of Statistics
Celebrating the International Year of Statistics 2013

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Consultancies and CURF use

CURF users often ask if they can use the CURF to support work they are doing for another organisation - such as within a consultancy project. ABS supports such uses as long as those who will use or see CURF microdata are approved by ABS to do so.

Some users involved in consultancy projects are unsure about which organisation should take responsibility for the use of the CURF used in the consultancy project. Should it be the researcher's home organisation, or the organisation which is commissioning the research? The answer is that the organisation with responsibility for the CURF user also has responsibility for their CURF use. In most instances this will be the home organisation.

Whether the organisation commissioning the research also needs to be approved by ABS to access the CURF will depend on what information the consultant plans to share with them. If microdata itself is to be shared then the commissioning organisation will definitely need to be apply to ABS to access the CURF.

The CURF application process for consultants is the same as for any other CURF applicant and includes a question about whether the CURF will be used for a project for an organisation other than the home organisation. ABS uses the information provided in the application to ensure all those who need to access CURFs gain ABS approval.

If you have been using a CURF for some time and wish to go on to use it for a consultancy project you should contact ABS Microdata Access to ensure the appropriate approvals are provided.

For more information please see the Consultants and third party organisations web page or contact us by email to microdata.access@abs.gov.au, or phone 02 6252 7714.