Key activities

We achieve our purpose through three key activities. These key activities set out how we achieve the outcome mandated by the Australian Government in our Portfolio Budget Statements. Each year in setting our key activities, we take into consideration our clients' needs, current and emerging risks, the burden placed on data providers and the importance of improving access to statistical information.

Our data and statistics underpin fiscal and monetary policy, inform decision making and the delivery of programs and services essential to the wellbeing of Australians, and contribute to informed public discussion. To maintain this role, we continue to strengthen both the quality of our collections and the systems and methods that support them.

The ABS Forward Work Program outlines our planned statistical releases and data developments over the next four years. During 2026–27, we will continue to deliver a range of statistics and products to meet the needs of government, businesses and the community.

Major ABS programs and projects

The table below shows the major ABS programs and projects we are focussing on over the duration of this Plan, to support our objective of producing high-quality statistics and insights.

The Census is one of Australia’s most important national exercises. It provides the most comprehensive picture of Australia’s population, informing decisions about hospitals, schools, transport, housing, infrastructure and community services. Delivering a secure and trusted Census is central to our role as Australia’s national statistical agency.

On 11 August 2026, we conducted the 19th Census. The 2026 Census introduced a new pathway via myGov, supporting a seamless and accessible experience for the public. It also collected data on a new topic of Sexual Orientation and Gender (for people aged 16 years and older) for the first time. These changes reflect evolving data needs and provide important insights to support policy development, planning and service delivery across Australia.

Following collection, we undertake processing, quality assurance and validation activities required to produce high-quality Census data. From June 2027, we will release the first results from the 
2026 Census, along with findings from the Post Enumeration Survey and rebased population estimates. 

The ABS conducts the Census every five years, as required under the Census and Statistics Act 1905. Planning for the 2031 Census has begun. Early planning ensures we can continue to innovate, respond to emerging data needs and maintain the high standards expected of Australia’s largest statistical collection.

We continue to enhance the quality, coverage and timeliness of Australia’s economic and industry statistics, supported by modernised systems, stronger partnerships and increased use of administrative and transactional data. This includes delivering key initiatives to modernise statistical production and data assets, including:

• Big Data Timely Insights Phase 2 Program: 
  • delivered core statistical processing systems required to produce the Consumer Price Index (CPI) on a monthly basis from November 2025. The program will complete the build of all additional CPI tools in 2026–27, enabling the ABS to move away from the legacy CPI system. 
  • will onboard four business collections (Quarterly Business Indicators Survey, the Survey of Capital Expenditure and Mineral and Petroleum Exploration Surveys) to secure cloud-based tools through a planned, staged approach by June 2027. This will enable more efficient statistical production, move away from legacy systems, and provide a repeatable pattern for onboarding additional collections in the future.
  • deliver a cloud-based Business Characteristics Asset by June 2030, providing near real-time insights on business formation and resilience, including new information on small businesses. The new asset will replace the legacy business register and support more flexible, targeted and high-quality insights. The asset will support improved understanding of business behaviour and economic resilience and will underpin a range of new statistical products and analytical capabilities.
• delivering modernised agricultural statistics with improved access to data while reducing provider burden. In partnership with the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences and others across the sector, we are also developing new microdata to support research on agriculture and regional communities and strengthening data sharing and custodianship across the agricultural sector

Australia’s economic statistics are built on internationally agreed standards and frameworks that are updated from time to time to capture changes in the economy. With new industries and the expansion of digital services and emerging technologies, our statistical foundations must evolve to ensure Australia’s economic statistics reflect the contemporary economy. We continue to support the development and adoption of statistical standards and infrastructure to enable the production of high-quality statistics that are internationally comparable. 

The ABS is preparing to implement the 2025 System of National Accounts and the 7th Edition of the Balance of Payments and International Investment Position Manual. This work will provide a more complete picture of the economy by capturing industries and activities that are currently under-represented and ensure Australia maintains international comparability as other countries adopt these new standards.

The ABS released a new Occupation Standard Classification for Australia (OSCA) in 2024. We are now working with experts across government, industry, education and training to ensure OSCA remains relevant, accurate and aligned to evolving labour market dynamics and international standards. This will involve identifying new and emerging occupations, retiring obsolete roles, and refining skill levels, titles and task descriptions. This update is part of the OSCA maintenance strategy to ensure it reflects a modern Australian labour market and stakeholder expectations and will be released in 2027. 

We are expanding the breadth and depth of Australia’s population, labour and social statistics to reflect contemporary issues and support policy needs across government. This includes: 

• addressing labour market data gaps identified in the Employment White Paper to support a more dynamic and inclusive labour market. This includes improved data on disadvantaged groups, unpaid care, job quality and mobility, non-binary Australians, and annual employment insights for First Nations peoples. This will be enabled by integrating survey and administrative data and modernising key labour collections.
• delivering insights from the annual digital-first General Social Survey, supporting Treasury’s Measuring What Matters national wellbeing framework.
• delivering the 2027 National Health Survey (NHS), in partnership with the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing. The NHS provides high quality national statistics on long-term health conditions, mental wellbeing, and health risk factors. The data will build on previous Australia wide Health Surveys that are used across multiple levels of the health system by diverse stakeholders across Australia. This initiative helps to better understand the health and wellbeing of Australians and informs how Australia’s health system is designed for the future. 
• delivering the 2028 Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers (SDAC), in partnership with the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing. This follows from previous SDAC surveys, collecting important information from people with disability, people over 65 and carers to assess performance and impact of national programs and initiatives. Insights from the survey will inform the design of future initiatives to meet the needs of Australians. 

We are committed to enhancing the value of Australia’s data by partnering across government and the private sector. By building data integration capabilities that link public and private datasets, we enable policy-relevant research and new insights into Australia’s communities, economy and environment. Reusing existing data reduces the amount and frequency of information we need from surveys, lowering burden for households and businesses and ensuring public funds are used effectively.

Our integrated data assets bring together information from multiple sources and are widely used to inform policy, evaluate programs and support research that benefits the public. The Person-Level Integrated Data Asset (PLIDA) combines 37 datasets on healthcare, education, government payments, personal income tax and population. The Business Longitudinal Analysis Data Environment (BLADE) links 41 datasets on tax, trade, intellectual property and ABS survey data to support analysis of business performance, innovation and productivity.

To respond to evolving research needs, we collaborate with government and private sector partners to develop and maintain these assets. This includes:

• piloting the Life Course Data Initiative (LCDI) in partnership with the Australian Capital Territory Government, South Australian Government and Adelaide University’s BetterStart. The LCDI is creating an evidence base by bringing together cross-jurisdictional data from a range of early childhood, health and community services, to generate insights that can better inform long term policy responses to address disadvantage, particularly for children aged 0-14 years. The LCDI is also helping communities across Australia find and access data and build capability in using and interpreting data for local decision making. Products to be released in 2026–27 will include an experimental indicator of child disadvantage which incorporates measures relevant to social, economic and educational wellbeing, research outputs from LCDI partners, and insights into child residential mobility. 
• establishing the National Veterans’ Data Asset, a recommendation from the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide. This initiative will be delivered in partnership with the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, the Department of Defence and the National Suicide Prevention Office. By reusing the Person Level Integrated Data Asset infrastructure, it will allow deidentified longitudinal data to be brought together efficiently for critical research and analysis to support improving health and wellbeing outcomes for veterans and their families.
• developing the Criminal Justice Data Asset (CJDA), in partnership with Department of Social Services and state and territory governments. The CJDA will draw together data from the administrative systems of state and territory criminal justice agencies – including data about police recorded offenders, criminal court defendants and adult prisoners under the authority of corrective services. 
• supporting the Treasury Competition Review Taskforce through integration of new administrative and survey datasets into BLADE. The review will support Treasury’s analysis of competition laws, policies and institutions to ensure they are suitable for the modern economy, focusing on reforms that boost productivity and increase wages.

Through cross-sector collaboration, stewardship and technical leadership, we contribute to the uplift of Australia’s data capabilities and support a more connected, secure and effective national data system. 

We are also strengthening our internal data science and analytics capability by modernising analytical tools and methods, improving coding and data engineering practices, and expanding supported access to contemporary technologies such as R, Python and GitLab. This includes developing enterprise standards for coding, testing and change management, delivering foundational data science training for staff, and coordinating uplift across major ABS programs to ensure consistent, modern and efficient analytical workflows.

Major ABS programs and projects

The table below shows the major ABS programs and projects we are focussing on over the duration of this Plan, to support our objective of exercising leadership in Australia’s data landscape. 

We deliver and operate core data platforms and capabilities that support high-quality statistics, insights and evidence-based decision-making. Our key capabilities include:

• Secure Environment for Analysing Data (SEAD): A protected analytical environment that enables secure collaboration on sensitive data.
• Australian National Data Integration Infrastructure (ANDII): A secure platform that links and integrates government datasets to support research, evaluation and policy development.
• Whole of Australian Government Coding Service: A new coding service that makes classifying data to the latest standard occupation classification easier, faster and cheaper. In 2026–27, we will continue to mature this service for ABS-wide adoption and external use with Australia’s industry classification. 

Researchers access our data assets through the secure ABS DataLab. Government, research and not-for-profit sectors use this data to generate insights about the economy and the community, including to evaluate the impact of Government policies. There are currently 353 active projects accessing ABS integrated data in the DataLab. For 2026–27, approved ABS and collaborative projects supported through DataLab include:

• Analysis of the cost structures and profitability of community pharmacies, supporting evaluation of the next Community Pharmacy Agreement and reforms aimed at improving value for consumers and taxpayers.
• Research into business dynamism exploring the drivers of firm entry, growth and exit, and how these processes contribute to productivity growth and economic performance.
• Analysis of the full costs and impacts of orthopaedic trauma, examining hospital treatment, follow‑on healthcare use, changes in earning capacity and demand for community supports to better understand the broader impacts of serious injuries.
• Evaluation of programs that build education and work capacity for people with disability assessing the impacts of early intervention, employment supports and re‑skilling initiatives on education, income, wellbeing and long‑term economic participation.
• Analysis of how tax settings, housing investment and emerging technologies shape economic transitions, examining how speculative investment affects entrepreneurship and how firms adjust their workforce as artificial intelligence technologies become more widely adopted.

The ABS leads the APS Data Profession, an initiative which enhances data capability across the APS to attract, develop and retain skilled data professionals. This work supports the delivery of the APS Data, Digital and Cyber Workforce Plan 2025–30.

We will continue to focus on uplifting APS data literacy, embedding data leadership, and expanding the professional workforce by:

• Strengthening engagement through the Members Community Platform (MCP), which connects more than 18,600 members across Commonwealth, state and territory governments. Open to anyone with an interest in data, the MCP offers a space to test ideas, share knowledge and connect with experts through Communities of Practice. 
• Leading the APS-wide Data Graduate Recruitment Program, placing over 170 data graduates across 34 agencies in 2026.
• Building data capability through leadership and literacy programs, including a refreshed Data for SES Leaders course offering and self-paced Introduction to Data in Government modules available on APS Learn. The EL2 Data Driven Leadership course is being redeveloped and will be launched in 2027.
• Celebrating excellence by sharing case studies from the APS Data Awards, which recognise outstanding data‑driven initiatives across the APS that deliver real impact for government and the Australian public. 
• Defining data skills, roles and career pathways with clear tools and guidance. This includes updated data role descriptions, curated training offerings and practical guidance to support data graduates.

The ABS contributes to strengthening data capability across Australia through engagement with professional and academic organisations, including the Statistical Society of Australia and the Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute, to support capability development and promote consistent statistical standards across government and research sectors.

In addition, the ABS is modernising its data science and analytics capability by adopting contemporary tools such as R and Python, improving flexibility, interoperability and workforce capability to support innovation and future statistical needs.

We work closely with all levels of government, academia, business and the not-for-profit sector and generate statistical information that informs and assesses the effectiveness of economic, social and environmental policies. We consult regularly with key clients and users of ABS data to ensure our statistical products remain relevant and valued.

Our outposted officer network facilitates access to statistics, develops statistical capability and strengthens statistical coordination with federal, state and territory government host agencies, supporting the use of data in decision-making. 

Major ABS programs and projects

The table below shows the major ABS programs and projects we are focussing on over the duration of this Plan, to support our objective of strengthening relationships and reducing provider burden.

The ABS is modernising the way it collects information so we can continue to produce timely, accurate and representative statistics while reducing the burden on people and businesses. Our focus is on delivering secure, digital-first services that make it easier for households and businesses to share information in a way that suits them, while ensuring our systems remain resilient, efficient and sustainable.

Through our Data Acquisition Modernisation Program, we are responding to long‑term declines in survey response rates, reducing reliance on outdated systems and stabilising the costs of collecting data. This work is strengthening the foundations needed to continue delivering statistics of national importance, including Australia’s employment and unemployment figures.

By March 2027, we will:

• improve the digital experience of key surveys including the Labour Force Survey, the Monthly Population Household Surveys, the Wage Price Index, the Building Activity Survey and the Employee Earnings and Hours Survey, to support higher online take-up, stabilise response rates and ensure the continued delivery of timely and representative statistics.
• enhance our contact centre to provide a better experience for the community, businesses and our staff, through modern tools, streamlined workflows and more responsive support.
• replace legacy IT systems by transitioning platforms and processes to a secure and scalable cloud environment, reducing cyber security risks and improving the sustainability of our collection operations.
• modernise systems and processes for our field workforce to automate work allocation, remuneration and timesheet management, improving efficiency and reducing risks associated with manual processes.
• develop a consistent source of auxiliary data linked to the ABS Address Register to support more efficient sample design, digital-first survey operations and improved estimation methods.