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...

[Anonymous]

Canada cancelled its compulsory census in 2010 and moved to a shorter voluntary survey. Statisticians testing the new data have described it as "garbage".

http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/abbott-government-considers-axing-the-australi...

[vicr3000]

Sounds like Canada's gun database / laws, that they scrapped after a billion $ were wasted over 10 years.


We need to stick with what we have got.

[debra9275]

I also think every 10 years would be OK, not sure that I agree with scrapping it altogether though

[Anonymous]

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@debra9275 wrote:
I also think every 10 years would be OK, not sure that I agree with scrapping it altogether though

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it would be replaced with something else and

they are using other countries' examples of 

possible alternatives.

[softail-joanie]

i don't understand

[cherry*135]

The ABS are for change.

Australians will still have to fill out a census form, but maybe less frequently than every five years.The Abbott government is considering a suite of proposed changes to the census.

That's because the Australian Bureau of Statistics does not believe it offers value for money in its current form.

Mr Kalisch [Statistician] believes there is a different way to configure the statistical approach to the census, but declined to give details while the bureau's proposals are with the government.

The ABS does not intend to follow Canada which faced problems when it changed to a voluntary census.

Read more: http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/were-not-abolishing-census-statistician-20150226-3r0kf...

[lurker172602]

Census data and statistics fascinate me.

The ABS has a couple of pretty cool apps that are fun to play with. Spotlight gives you an interesting snapshot of yourself in your community (or anyone else I suppose if you want), and Run That Town looks like fun.

[Anonymous]

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@softail-joanie wrote:

i don't understand

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http://www.census.gov/about/what.html

in australia this currently happens every

5yrs.  our government wants to change it

to 10yrs or replace it with a different system.

[the_great_she_elephant]

I thought the UK census was every 5 years - they must have changed it in the half century since I left

[gleee58]

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@lurker172602 wrote:

Census data and statistics fascinate me.

The ABS has a couple of pretty cool apps that are fun to play with. Spotlight gives you an interesting snapshot of yourself in your community (or anyone else I suppose if you want), and Run That Town looks like fun.

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Thanks for that info