4. ADDITIONAL WATER INFORMATION COLLECTED EVERY FOUR YEARS FOR COMPILATION OF THE ABS WATER ACCOUNT
The ABS is currently committed to producing of a Water Account, using the international statistical standard System of Environmental-Economic Accounting for Water (SEEAW), every four years. This compilation of water supply and use data incorporates information collected from agricultural businesses in the Agricultural Survey. The next ABS Water Account will relate to the 2008-09 reference period.
To support client requirements for agricultural water use information, the ABS expects to include a number of questions in the 2008-09 Agricultural Survey questionnaire designed to collect data relating to watering methods, irrigation tools, barriers to change and water-related costs.
Also included in the 2008-09 Agricultural Survey questionnaire are questions collecting details of irrigated production for cotton, sugarcane and grapes. These questions will provide additional information to support the annual production of Gross Value of Irrigated Agricultural Production estimates.
The ABS is proposing that a suite of additional water questions, similar to those included in 2008-09, will be included in the Agriculture Statistics Program in future to coincide with the Water Account every four years.