Australian Statistics Advisory Council



Meetings

The Australian Statistics Advisory Council (ASAC) meets twice yearly in Canberra.

In 2010-11, ASAC meetings covered a broad range of topics, including:
  • the National Statistical Service (NSS)
  • 2010 NatStats Conference
  • whole of Commonwealth Government data integration initiative
  • the Australian Bureau of Statistics' (ABS) work program, including collaboration with other national statistical offices
  • 2011 Census of Population and Housing
  • OECD Income Consumption and Wealth Framework and
  • ABS Information Management Transformation Project.

National Statistical Service and ASAC’s role
The Council continues to focus on improving coordination, integration and cohesion of national statistics and making better use of administrative data sources.

Statistical data integration
Statistical data integration brings together information from two or more datasets to produce a new dataset. ASAC supports and encourages ABS in this leadership role in establishing a safe and effective environment for data integration involving Commonwealth government data for statistical and research purposes. ASAC strongly endorses the establishment of a Data Integration Oversight Board, to provide leadership in managing the risks around data integration. ASAC also supports the ABS's role as an integrator of key enduring datasets for statistical and research purposes in areas of strong policy interest.

International collaboration and the Information Management Transformation Program
ASAC encouraged the ABS’s involvement with the international statistical community in a number of new collaborative statistical projects. These projects aim to increase national statistical offices’ capacity to pursue innovation, and improving their ability to meet the needs of the statistical community, through the collaborative development of statistical infrastructure. Working with other national statistical offices will provide the ABS with resources and expertise not currently available in Australia, and give ABS staff opportunities to share their professional skills and experience.

The year ahead 2011-12
The Council plans to advise the Australian Statistician and the Minister on statistical services and priorities on the work program for 2011-12 to 2014-15. The Council will also advise the ABS on the directions and priorities it should be considering in the longer term, to enable it to remain relevant as Australia's national statistical office.

The Council will also continue to monitor and support COAG initiatives. Council will keep abreast of the reform program across Commonwealth and state/territory governments, and provide advice aimed at ensuring that needs are considered in the context of overall statistical priorities.

Meeting dates scheduled for 2012
Tuesday, 29 May 2012
Tuesday, 13 November 2012