WHAT'S NEW AT ABS ...


WHAT'S NEW

Underemployed Workers, Australia, Sep 2008

Labour Statistics News, Feb 2009

Information Paper: Regional Labour Force Statistics, February 2009

Persons with Main Source of Income from Own Unincorporated Business, Estimates for Small Areas - Data Cubes, 2004-05 to 2005-06

Research Paper: Application of Operations Research to Improving Business Collection Efficiency (Methodology Advisory Committee), November 2008

Information Paper: ANZSCO -- Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations, First Edition, Revision 1, 2009

Criminal Courts, Australia, 2007-08

Demography News, Feb 2009  

ABS Agriculture Statistics Collection Strategy - 2008-09 and beyond, 2009-10

Australian National Accounts: Input-Output Tables (Product Details) - Electronic Publication, 2004-05

Research Paper: Generalised Linear Models with Probabilistically Linked Data (Methodology Advisory Committee), November 2008

Research Paper: An Evaluation of Cube Sampling for ABS Household Surveys (Methodology Advisory Committee), June 2007

CURF Microdata News, Feb 2009 

Changes to the ABS Survey Program

ABS Release Information

Queensland Theme Page


UNDEREMPLOYED WORKERS, AUSTRALIA, SEP 2008

Underemployed Workers, Australia, Sep 2008 (cat.no. 6265.0) was released 24 February, 2009. This publication provides information on visible underemployment. Persons who worked less than 35 hours in the week prior to the survey who would have preferred to work more hours were asked about whether they were looking for work with more hours, available to start work with more hours, and their experience in looking for work with more hours. Other information includes, the duration of the current period of insufficient work, and the number of extra hours preferred. Estimates can be cross-classified by labour force demographics such as State, sex, age, marital status and birthplace.

Results for Queensland indicate that:

• there were 2,199,400 employed people aged 15 years and over in September 2008, of whom 1,605,800 (73%) were employed full-time and 593,600 (27%) were part-time
• 100,900 (17%) part-time workers were underemployed - these people comprise the majority of the 111,300 underemployed workers
• in numerical terms, the number of underemployed female workers (72,900) was nearly double that of underemployed male workers (38,400)
• a greater proportion of male part-time workers were underemployed (19%) compared to their female counterparts (16%).

LABOUR STATISTICS NEWS, FEB 2009

Labour Statistics News, Feb 2009 (cat. no. 6106.0) was released 24 February, 2009. This biannual publication provides information about the latest in labour market statistics including: outlining recent developments and survey reviews; informing and seeking feedback on current projects; providing analysis and articles on labour-related issues; providing information on how to find, use and interpret ABS labour market statistics; providing useful contacts within the labour market area of the ABS; highlighting significant releases of ABS labour market data or analysis; and advertising upcoming statistical training in labour market statistics. Labour Statistics News aims to reach a wide range of users to inform and engage with the community on labour market issues and statistical developments.
INFORMATION PAPER: REGIONAL LABOUR FORCE STATISTICS, FEBRUARY 2009

Information Paper: Regional Labour Force Statistics, February 2009 (cat. no. 6262.0) was released 27 February, 2009. Labour Force Survey (LFS) Statistical Region boundaries are revised at each labour force sample redesign in order to align with the Australian Standard Geographical Classification (ASGC) (cat. no. 1216.0) and are introduced when regional benchmarks are reviewed. This paper describes the changes which occurred to a number of existing regions and which became effective in February 2009. The paper also provides general information on the availability of labour force statistics for those dissemination regions.
PERSONS WITH MAIN SOURCE OF INCOME FROM OWN UNINCORPORATED BUSINESS, ESTIMATES FOR SMALL AREAS - DATA CUBES, 2004-05 TO 2005-06

Persons with Main Source of Income from Own Unincorporated Business, Estimates for Small Areas - Data Cubes, 2004-05 to 2005-06 (cat. no. 6225.0.55.001) was released 18 February, 2009. These data are estimates of the number of persons whose main or principal source of income comes from their Own unincorporated business(es) for the financial years 2004-05 and 2005-06. The data includes estimates of: the number of persons by sex; the income those persons received from Own unincorporated business(es); and the total income those persons received from all sources.

These data have been compiled from the Australian Taxation Office's Individual Income Tax Return Database and are part of the ABS' program to increase the range of regional data available to users of regional statistics, particularly through the use of administrative information from other government agencies. These data are intended to provide insight about the economy of regions, and in particular regional income.

Some results for Queensland include:

• the average personal income for persons whose main income source was from their own unincorporated business(es), increased from $35,550 in 2004-05 to $38,093 in 2005-06 (up 7.2%)
• the people who had the highest average personal income from their own unincorporated business in 2004-05 and 2005-06 were residents of the Statistical Local Areas (SLA) of Ascot ($128,428) and Hamilton ($151,173), respectively.
• in both reference periods, the SLAs which had the highest-earning residents from this income source were Ascot, Hamilton, City - Inner and City - Remainder, all in the Local Government Area (LGA) of Brisbane (C)

RESEARCH PAPER: APPLICATION OF OPERATIONS RESEARCH TO IMPROVING BUSINESS COLLECTION EFFICIENCY (METHODOLOGY ADVISORY COMMITTEE, NOVEMBER 2008

Research Paper: Application of Operations Research to Improving Business Collection Efficiency (Methodology Advisory Committee), November 2008 (cat. no. 1352.0.55.097) was released 5 March, 2009. The relationships between the cost of follow-up, survey response and telephony practices are complex and depend on many factors. This paper explores some initial data investigation into the efficiency and effectiveness of ABS strategies for follow-up of business survey providers leading to some conclusions and hypotheses about the types of issues involved. Two of these hypotheses are explored further through small scale trials, while the proposed analysis of the more complex relationship is discussed briefly.
INFORMATION PAPER: ANZSCO -- AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND STANDARD CLASSIFICATION OF OCCUPATIONS, FIRST EDITION, REVISION 1, 2009

Information Paper: ANZSCO -- Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations, First Edition, Revision 1, 2009 (cat. no. 1221.0) was released 25 February, 2009. The purpose of this paper is to provide information about the first revision to the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) First Edition, referred to as ANZSCO First Edition Revision 1. It includes discussion of the reasons for, and the scope of, the revision. It also contains the updated classification structure at the most detailed (6-digit) level, in advance of the full release of ANZSCO First Edition Revision 1 scheduled for July 2009.
CRIMINAL COURTS, AUSTRALIA, 2007-08

Criminal Courts, Australia, 2007-08 (cat. no. 4513.0) was released 25 February, 2009. This publication presents statistics about defendants dealt with by the criminal jurisdiction of the Higher (Supreme and Intermediate), Magistrates' and Children's Courts of Australia, for the period 1 July 2007 to 30 June 2008. Defendants include persons as well as organisations (for the Higher and Magistrates' Courts only) charged with criminal offences. The statistics provide a profile of the characteristics of defendants, as well as data about the offences for which they have been charged, their guilt or innocence, and sentence outcomes for those proven guilty.

Some results for Queensland during 2007-08 include:

• In Queensland higher courts, 6,068 defendants were finalised with 4,698 defendants being found guilty and of these 79% were sentenced to custody in a correctional institution.
• In Queensland Magistrates courts, 152,367 defendants were finalised with 139,169 being found guilty and 8,555 being sentenced to a custodial order.
• During 2007-08 in Queensland Children's Courts, 7,446 defendants were finalised with 6,516 being found guilty and of these, 371 were sentenced to a custodial order. A total of 56 children were acquitted and 531 had the charges withdrawn by the prosecution while 342 were transferred to other courts.

DEMOGRAPHY NEWS, FEB 2009

Demography News, Feb 2009 (cat. no. 3106.0) was released 25 February, 2009. This newsletter provides measures of the Australian population, its size, growth, composition and geographic distribution, as well as the components that shape population change: births, deaths and migration. It also provides information about the latest demographic research and analysis being undertaken by the ABS.
ABS AGRICULTURE STATISTICS COLLECTION STRATEGY - 2008-09 AND BEYOND, 2009-10

ABS Agriculture Statistics Collection Strategy - 2008-09 and beyond, 2009-10 (cat. no. 7105.0) was released 5 March, 2009. This information paper addresses the proposed strategy for the 2009-10 and subsequent ABS Agricultural Surveys and Censuses. This is the final in a series of three papers following a review of the ABS Agriculture Statistics Program.

The first paper, ABS Agriculture Statistics Strategy - 2008-09 and beyond (cat. no. 7105.0), published in November 2008 presented the ABS' understanding of the key agricultural policy issue imperatives and areas of priority for statistical data development. It also outlined proposed changes to the future ABS Agricultural Survey program, aimed at improving the statistical information base relevant to the priority areas.

The second release of ABS Agriculture Statistics Strategy - 2008-09 and beyond (cat.no. 7105.0) published on 2 February 2008 outlined the direction and content of the 2008-09 Agricultural Survey.

This final paper focuses on the proposed strategy for the 2009-10 Agricultural Survey, the 2010-11 Agricultural Census, and subsequent ABS Agricultural Surveys/Censuses.

The key purpose of this paper is to advise clients of the future agriculture collection strategy. The ABS is keen to ensure the agricultural statistical information supplied into the future is well placed to inform the policy and research imperatives facing government and non-government users. The information should meet priority data needs and associated development actions that have already been articulated, such as Caring for our Country.
AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL ACCOUNTS: INPUT-OUTPUT TABLES (PRODUCT DETAILS) - ELECTRONIC PUBLICATION, 2004-05

Australian National Accounts: Input-Output Tables (Product Details) - Electronic Publication, 2004-05 (cat. no. 5215.0.55.001) was released 13 March, 2009. This publication presents information on supply and use by detailed product item based on the 2004-05 Input-Output Product Classification (IOPC). A separate publication Australian National Accounts, Input-Output Tables - Electronic Publication (cat. no. 5209.0.55.001) provides a comprehensive range of input-output flow and coefficient tables.

The publication comprises a list of IOPC product items and shows Australian production, imports, intermediate usage, final usage, exports, margins and taxes less subsidies on products in 2004-05. Several aggregates shown in this spreadsheet can be directly related to Tables 1, 2 and 3 of 5209.0.55.001.
RESEARCH PAPER: GENERALISED LINEAR MODELS WITH PROBABILISTICALLY LINKED DATA (METHODOLOGY ADVISORY COMMITTEE), NOVEMBER 2008

Research Paper: Generalised Linear Models with Probabilistically Linked Data (Methodology Advisory Committee), November 2008 (cat. no. 1352.0.55.098) was released 26 February, 2009. As outlined in this paper, the ABS has embarked on the Census Data Enhancement project, the key feature of which is to create a Statistical Longitudinal Census Dataset (SLCD) based on a random sample of 5% of person records from the 2006 Census. These will be linked to person records from 2011 and subsequent Censuses without using names and addresses as linking variables. The SLCD will provide a substantial opportunity for longitudinal analysis to see how people and their families change with time, while maintaining the ABS’ strong commitment to the confidentiality of its Census respondents. Since a unique person identifier will not be available, some links will be incorrect, so some linked Census records will not correspond to the same individual. The ABS has conducted a quality study to assess the feasibility of forming the SLCD in this way and its likely quality. Part of the assessment has been to fit generalised linear models to longitudinal linked data. This paper describes and implements a method of adjusting regression coefficients in such models to account for incorrect links. Empirical results show that the adjustment method works well, especially as the number of incorrect links increases. Empirical findings also suggest that a possibly more significant source of error arises when certain sub-populations are underrepresented in the linked data set.
RESEARCH PAPER: AN EVALUATION OF CUBE SAMPLING FOR ABS HOUSEHOLD SURVEYS (METHODOLOGY ADVISORY COMMITTEE), JUNE 2007

Research Paper: An Evaluation of Cube Sampling for ABS Household Surveys (Methodology Advisory Committee), June 2007 (cat. no. 1352.0.55.087) was released 26 February, 2009. This paper provides an assessment of cube sampling for potential use in ABS household surveys. Cube sampling aims to select efficient samples when there are multiple characteristics of interest and where a set of design variables could be used for improving the efficiency of the sample design. Cube sampling achieves this efficiency by selecting balanced samples on a set of design variables. A balanced design has the property that the Horvitz-Thompson estimators of total for the set of design variables equal their known totals. This paper presents some exploratory work into measuring the variance reductions in population estimates from ABS household surveys as a result of selecting a balanced sample of primary selection units. The results in this paper suggest that cube sampling has the potential to provide significant cost savings and therefore that further work in this area should be continued. This paper mentions other issues (e.g. variance estimation and rotation control) that would need to be considered before implementing cube sampling in the ABS.
CURF MICRODATA NEWS, FEB 2009

CURF Microdata News, Feb 2009 (cat. no. 1104.0) was released 27 February, 2009. This quarterly newsletter is aimed at informing new and current Confidentialised Unit Record File (CURF) Microdata users about issues and developments in the access to, and use of, CURF Microdata. The newsletter periodically covers topics such as available and forthcoming microdata releases, terms and conditions of access, responsible access to microdata and best practice tips, pricing, microdata research outputs, frequently asked questions, and information about applying for ABS CURF microdata.
CHANGES TO THE ABS SURVEY PROGRAM

The ABS is facing a tight budget situation in 2008-09, which has led to a range of reductions in the ABS work program. The Australian Statistician, Brian Pink, has outlined a number of strategies to address the situation in the document Changes to the ABS survey program for 2008-09 on the ABS Website. Use the link to see what the implications are for the affected surveys or programs and how to get further information.
ABS RELEASE INFORMATION

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) website provides the expected release details for all statistical products due for publication in the coming six months.

The web page 'Releases Scheduled for the Next Six Months' is revised on the ABS website at the beginning of each month. This six-month forecasting is intended to keep clients informed about products and when they will become available.

All ABS core statistical and other statistical publications that usually have a catalogue number will be detailed as well as prominent non-statistical publications such as the ABS Annual Report and Australian Statistics Advisory Council Annual Report.

Access 'Releases Scheduled for the Next Six Months' from the ABS Home page via 'Future Releases' or use this link.

Information on all ABS product releases can also be accessed from ABS Release Advice. This web page also provides links to Previous Releases, Releases Scheduled for the Next Six Months and Main Economic Indicator Releases.
QUEENSLAND THEME PAGE

This page provides access to Queensland statistical information including statistical releases and links to non-ABS sources. A wide range of economic and social statistics is covered.