In 2019 the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) and the Statistical Society of Australia agreed to be strategic partners. The aim of this partnership is – among other things – to build the professional capability of ABS staff; to increase engagement between ABS staff, members of SSA and the broader statistical community; and to work together to improve the statistical literacy of the general public.

SSA is delighted to advise that as part of this agreement the ABS will continue to be a top tier sponsor of the recurring Australian Statistical Conference.

About the ABS

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) is Australia’s national statistical agency, providing trusted official statistics on a wide range of economic, social, population and environmental matters of importance to Australia. The role of the ABS is to 

• provide the statistical information that Australia needs
• respond to the changing information priorities of its stakeholders
• enhance the ways that it interacts with its stakeholders
• develop and maintain community trust, which is fundamental to its ability to collect high quality information
• enable effective and safe use of its statistics
• coordinate and advise official bodies on statistics, including developing, and ensuring compliance with, statistical standards
• fulfil its role as an Accredited Integrating Authority
• build its capacity to take advantage of opportunities, such as advances in technology, big data, and use of administrative information for statistical purposes
• ensure cost-effect operations, including better use of existing information, collect information more efficiently, streamline processes, and reduce the impact on those who provide statistical information.

It is the highest priority of the ABS to deliver high quality official statistics. To ensure that the ABS can deliver relevant, trusted, objective statistics, it is transforming the ABS and partnering with stakeholders to innovate, develop and implement new statistical solutions.

The ABS also has an important leadership role, coordinating statistical activities and collaborating with official bodies in the collection, compilation, analysis and distribution of statistics. In addition, the ABS provides technical advice and assistance to the Australian and state and territory governments in relation to statistics, develops standards for statistics, and helps to ensure compliance with those standards.

The ABS Corporate Plan, outlining the ABS purpose, strategic priorities, operating environment and performance measures, can be found on the ABS website. "Informing a Nation", a fascinating publication by the ABS about the history of statistics in Australia, can be found here.