October 14, 2009
72/2009
ABS looking for comments on its next Ag Census
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) is looking for comments on the nature and
content of its next Agricultural Census, to be run from June 2011.
The Agricultural Census is held every five years, and is the second largest collection that
the ABS undertakes after the population census.
It plays a vital role in supporting the development and monitoring of Australia's agricultural,
natural resource and water policies.
'Australian agriculture contributes around 2.5% of Australia's gross domestic product and
employs over 300,000 people,' said Gemma Van Halderen, head of the ABS Agriculture
Statistics program.
Gemma also explains the importance of this industry to supporting the environment:
'Over half of Australia's land is used for agricultural production, and in 2004-05 as much as
two-thirds of Australia's annual water consumption was used for agricultural production.'
'The Ag Census provides an important opportunity to collect information to help our
understanding of agriculture's contribution to Australia's economy and environment.
'The ABS welcomes input during the design and development stages of the collection.'
The ABS is seeking feedback on the proposed list of items to be collected as part of the
2010-11 Agricultural Census, the areas that results should be provided for, how the results
can be accessed to maximise their value to users of agriculture data, and any other
aspects of the Agriculture Census.
People interested in providing comments can read the information paper Agricultural
Census: ABS Views on Content and Procedures 2010-11 (cat. 7103.0.80.002) on the ABS
The closing date for comments is Friday, November 20, 2009.
FURTHER INFORMATION:
Media requests and interviews
Corporate Communications 1300 175 070
NEWS 
