About the ABS
We are Australia’s national statistical agency and an official source of independent, reliable information. We tell the story of Australia, its economy and its people by bringing life and meaning to numbers.
Our purpose
To inform Australia’s important decisions by delivering relevant, trusted and objective data, statistics and insights.
Our outcome
Decisions on important matters made by governments, business and the broader community are informed by objective, relevant and trusted official statistics produced through the collection and integration of data, its analysis, and the provision of statistical information.
Our role
The ABS is Australia’s national statistical agency, an independent statutory authority in the Treasury portfolio. We provide trusted official statistics on a wide range of economic, social, population and environmental matters of importance to Australia.
We lead the use of public data for statistical purposes and work to improve the Australian Government’s data and statistical capabilities. We work in partnership with the other government agencies and organisations to expand the range and quality of statistical data, and information available to governments and the community.
The ABS advises official bodies on producing and using data and statistics, formulating standards, working with states and territories and liaising internationally with other national statistical organisations.
Our legislation
Our main functions, duties and powers are set out in the:
- Australian Bureau of Statistics Act 1975, which establishes the ABS as an independent statutory authority and legislates its main function as the central statistical authority for the Government and a provider of services for state and territory governments.
- Census and Statistics Act 1905, which empowers the Australian Statistician to collect and publish statistical information on a broad range of demographic, economic, environmental and social topics and has strong provisions to maintain the confidentiality of information collected under the Act.
In addition, the Census and Statistics (Information Release and Access) Determination 2018 enables the Statistician to release information collected under the Census and Statistics Act 1905 when specific conditions are met.
The ABS must comply with the governance and accountability system defined by the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013.
The ABS must also comply with a range of legislation including: