HUNTER VALLEY NEWS COLUMN 22 JULY 2015

The Australian Bureau of Statistics has commenced its Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES) which will run until June 2016.

The HIES is a national household survey which collects information on household income, expenditure, assets and liabilities and is one of the most important social surveys conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). It is run every six years and provides the community with a vital resource for analyzing the economic resources of Australian households.

Information on demographic and socioeconomic characteristics and financial details will be collected through a personal interview with residents from approximately 18,900 private dwellings in urban and rural areas of all states and territories. A subset of respondents from 10,900 of those dwellings will also be asked detailed expenditure questions. This includes the completion of a diary of purchases and payments made over a two-week period by persons aged 15 years and over.

Principal users of the HIES information are government and other social and economic analysts involved in the development, implementation and evaluation of social and economic policies. Results will be used to analyse and monitor the social and economic welfare of Australians, including household income distribution and the expenditure patterns of households within potentially disadvantaged groups. These analyses assist in the planning of services and support arrangements. The survey is also the main basis for updating the commodity weights in the Consumer Price Index.

Due to the comprehensive nature of the HIES survey, the ABS makes every effort to reduce the burden on respondents. All information provided is treated as confidential under the Census and Statistics Act1905, and the ABS takes extensive precautions to protect the data.

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Voting in Australia is compulsory, but it is also a privilege.  It is important that you exercise your right to vote and to do so you need to make sure your enrolment is up to date. 

To check your current enrolment or to register to vote go to www.aec.gov.au and follow the links or call my office for more information.  Make your vote count!

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To contact the office, phone 1300 301 753, visit www.joelfitzgibbon.com or by post 3 Edward Street, (PO Box 526) Cessnock, 2325.


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