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Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 23/01/2012
To ensure impartiality and integrity of ABS statistics, it is standard ABS policy and practice to make all our statistical releases available on our website to all government, commercial and public users of our statistics, simultaneously from 11.30 am (Canberra time) on the day of their release. Prior to 11.30 am, all ABS statistics are treated as confidential and regarded as 'under embargo'.
However, given the high level of market and community interest in some statistical series, it is important from a 'public good' perspective that key ministers are able to respond in an informed manner to requests from the media for early comment on the released statistics , thereby avoiding any inadvertent misinterpretation.
For this purpose, a secure "lockup" facility for both market sensitive and a small number of other complex key ABS statistical releases, is provided to enable authorised government officials and ministerial staff time to analyse the release and develop a briefing to be provided to relevant ministers after lifting of the embargo.
Authorised persons attending a lockup are required to remain in a secure room managed by ABS staff, and are prohibited from communicating any information from the statistical release to anyone outside the room, until the embargo is lifted at 11.30 am (Canberra time). Attendees at the lockup are also required to sign security undertakings which include provision for prosecution under the Crimes Act 1914 for anyone who breaches the conditions for attending the lockup.
The following products are approved for provision to authorised persons via ABS-hosted lockups on the morning of the day of their release:
- Balance of Payments and International Investment Position, Australia - quarterly (cat. no. 5302.0)
- Labour Force, Australia - monthly (cat. no. 6202.0)
- Consumer Price Index, Australia - quarterly (cat. no. 6401.0)
- Australian National Accounts: National Income, Expenditure and Product - quarterly (cat. no. 5206.0)
- International Trade in Goods and Services, Australia - monthly (cat. no. 5368.0)
- Housing Finance, Australia - monthly (cat. no. 5609.0)
- Private New Capital Expenditure and Expected Expenditure, Australia - quarterly (cat. no. 5625.0)
- Business Indicators, Australia - quarterly (cat. no. 5676.0)
- Labour Price Index, Australia - quarterly (cat. no. 6345.0)
- Producer Price Indexes, Australia - quarterly (cat. no. 6427.0)
- Retail Trade, Australia - monthly (cat. no. 8501.0)
- Building Approvals, Australia - monthly (cat. no. 8731.0)
- Australian National Accounts: State Accounts - annual (cat. no. 5220.0)
- Recorded Crime - Victims, Australia - annual (cat. no. 4510.0)
- Recorded Crime - Offenders - annual (cat. no. 4519.0)
- Criminal Courts, Australia - annual (cat. no. 4513.0)
- Crime Victimisation, Australia - annual (cat. no. 4530.0) - also previously known as Crime and Safety, Australia (cat. no. 4509.0).
In addition to the above arrangements, and having regard to the complexity of analyses required, a number of Commonwealth Treasury officials have access to Australian National Accounts: National Income, Expenditure and Product (cat. no. 5206.0) mid afternoon on the day before its release.
In exceptional circumstances, approval may be given for additional ad hoc lockups for other key statistical releases. If possible, a public notice of intention to hold this lockup will be published on the ABS website at least six working days in advance of the event. If this is not possible notification of an ad hoc lockup will be made on the ABS website as soon as possible.
Brian Pink
Australian Statistician
January 2012
This page first published 21 December 2007, last updated 20 January 2012
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