Contact us
Use our business survey contact form to outline the details of your query and provide your contact details.
I can’t access my paper form at this time, what can I do?
We recognise that some businesses may have changed working arrangements in response to COVID-19, and that it may be hard to access forms that the ABS has mailed to businesses.
If you need a paper form or an alternative, please contact us using the contact form linked above, or call us on the Survey of Producer Prices hotline 1800 010 558, and we will make arrangements for you.
Purpose of the survey
The Survey of Producer Prices measures inflation by industry to support the compilation of the Australian National Accounts and the Balance of Payments. It also measures changes of prices of goods imported into Australia or exported from Australia. It is vital that this information is collected regularly in order to provide an accurate account of the economy.
Frequently asked questions
About this survey
What kind of questions are asked in the Survey of Producer Prices?
Questions are designed in consultation with each provider so that the change in price from one period to the next of individual products can be measured. In most instances actual prices will be collected.
Why has this business been included in the Survey of Producer Prices?
Business are selected based on the importance of their products and services to the Australian economy.
How is the information from this survey used? Why is it important?
The principal purpose of the Survey of Producer Prices is to measure inflation by industry to support the compilation of the Australian National Accounts and Balance of Payments. It also supports inflation monitoring and analysis of the Australian economy.
Statistics are published quarterly in Producer Price Indexes, Australia and International Trade Price Indexes, Australia.
Do we have to answer the questions?
Yes. The questions included in this survey are being asked under the authority of the Census and Statistics Act 1905, which has provisions to make surveys compulsory. Under the Act, you are obliged to provide the information being requested. All the information you provide will remain strictly confidential.
How will the information we provide be kept safe, secure, and confidential?
We take the security of the information you provide to us very seriously. Your information remains strictly confidential to the ABS and is not shared with other agencies. We use the information you provide to calculate statistics, which are released in ways that do not allow for the identification of businesses or organisations.
All ABS employees have signed a legally enforceable Undertaking of Fidelity and Security in which they agree to keep any information, including personal information which they may deal with in the course of their work, private and confidential. This agreement applies to ABS employees for the rest of their lives, even if they leave the ABS.
We comply with the Australian Privacy Principles. If you believe we have breached these principles, please see the information on how to lodge a complaint about privacy matters, contained within our ABS Privacy Policy.
Will we be paid for our time?
No. There is no provision within the Census & Statistics Act 1905 to reimburse businesses for the cost of providing statistical information. It is only with the support of people like you that we can continue to produce the statistics that inform Australia's important decisions.
Information about the questions in this survey
How accurate do the figures need to be?
We require information to be as accurate as possible. Prices reported should correspond to real transactions. If products or services have not been transacted during the period please include a comment on the form.
Why can't we see the figures we provided last quarter in the current survey form?
Due to strict privacy policy guidelines protecting the information submitted by our data providers, we create new survey forms every quarter that do not contain previously submitted data. We recommend keeping a copy of your completed form prior to submission so that you have a copy for your records.
Using statistics from the survey of Producer Prices
How can we use statistics from the Survey of Producer Prices?
We provide statistics free of charge on our website. The statistics produced from the Survey of Producer Prices are published quarterly in Producer Price Indexes, Australia and International Trade Price Indexes, Australia.
How can we provide feedback about our involvement in the Survey of Producer Prices?
If you have participated in this survey we want to hear about your experience. We value your feedback and will use it to improve how we work with our survey participants.
Please write any comments on your survey form.