National Census

[pct001wine]

Currently every 5 years, apparently costs $400 mil to run.  Do we need it ?  Can we afford not to do it ?

http://www.news.com.au/national/breaking-news/were-not-abolishing-census-statistician/story-e6frfku9...

[vicr3000]

Re my interest in Jedi's

It all stems from a Soldier I knew on a course who said to some gullible presenter (a fellow female student) that his rank was "Jedi".
so for the whole lesson, she referred to him as Jedi Cooper.

The instructing staff were so bent over with laughter they had to leave the room and the other students could barely keep it in.

[Anonymous]

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@pct001wine wrote:

Agree.   Whilst we might all snigger about how many Pastafarians or Jedi followers the census uncovers, it has many benefits - infrastructure planning, eleectoral boundary reform to name a couple.

10 years is too far between drinks IMHO.

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works for other countries ok

he noted the census was conducted every 10 years in the US, UK and most European countries.

[vicr3000]

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@debra9275 wrote:

I don't know why it costs so much to do- but I think it provides uselful info

every time this govt does something, i think what are they trying to hide now

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Nothing, because the ABS does all the work.

[Anonymous]

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@vicr3000 wrote:

I was surprised it was 10 years.

I thought they were done closer together.

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it is still every 5 years. 

[gleee58]

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@vicr3000 wrote:

I was surprised it was 10 years.

I thought they were done closer together.

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It is 5 yearly. Abbott wants to stop it or change it to 10 yearly.

[vicr3000]

Thanks to both of your for correcting me.

I still disagree with Abbott. It is needed and once you have a break,
you lose continuity.

[Anonymous]

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@gleee58 wrote:

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@vicr3000 wrote:

I was surprised it was 10 years.

I thought they were done closer together.

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It is 5 yearly. Abbott wants to stop it or change it to 10 yearly.

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isn't he proposing an alternative survey?

[vicr3000]

Changing the methodology and questions means you lose continuity over the data from previous one's.

I think what they want to do is cut the cost of it down drastically.

if they can some how do this by using technology, it would help.

[gleee58]

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@vicr3000 wrote:

Thanks to both of your for correcting me.

I still disagree with Abbott. It is needed and once you have a break,
you lose continuity.

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Yes, that's right.  

[cherry*135]

I think every 10 years would be OK.  As pointed out above other countries have a 10 year census. 

Paperless census - The last Aust census, citizens could do the census online if they chose to. If the majority of people could do that (depending on whether they have an internet connection at home, access to one at a library), that would cut the costs in paper costs, all those people employed, dropping of the forms, collecting them, following up ones not completed. Also the info would go directly into the system so less people needed to do that as well.

New costs for paperless census - one off , new IT requirements for Govt.

This might be an option - 

New Zealand is considering replacing its census, using so-called administrative data from organisations such as the tax office to determine its population. It is also considering conducting the census only every 10 years instead of the present five.