Census 2016 is going ahead

It will be a relief to many of our readers to learn that the 2016 Census will be going ahead, with the ABS receiving a much needed funding boost in the upcoming budget.  You can read details in this article in The Age.

It’s a huge win for local area decision makers and we’d like to thank everyone who put their support behind the Save the Census campaigns run by ourselves and others advocating for fair and evidence-based decision making.

The full detail of the announcement is here:

http://www.abs.gov.au//websitedbs/Corporate.nsf/Home/government+investment+in+the+ABS

Also in the fine print:

• ABS will continue to look at “big data” and partnerships with private companies to streamline data collection and link collections together.
• A new ABS office will open in Geelong, Victoria, for survey management.
• ABS will look at incorporating advertising on their website to increase revenue.
• They will begin “charging for more complex telephone and email enquiries”

We’re not sure what this last one will entail, exactly. Complex data extractions, such as those we use to build our profile, atlas and economy.id sites have always been charged for. It sounds like when you ring the ABS you might be charged just to answer a question now! Rest assured, that for all our clients, .id will continue to answer all your statistical questions as part of the service to help you to fill the final gap in telling the story of the area.

Exactly what the Census content will be in 2016 is still unknown. Hopefully the ABS release the results of the 2013 consultation process soon and we can see what the form will look like. We’ll keep you posted!