47-729: The Australian Statistician is the head of the Australian Bureau of Statistics . On 18 June 1906, the first Statistician of the Commonwealth of Australia was appointed to carry out the provisions of the Census and Statistics Act 1905 . Later in the same year the Commonwealth Bureau of Census and Statistics was formed (renamed the Australian Bureau of Statistics in 1975). Timothy Augustine Coghlan
94-400: A technology transfer of high-speed rail technology from French engineers, essentially creating an industry of HSR manufacturing capable of exporting knowledge, equipment, and parts worldwide. The method of infrastructure asset management is based upon the definition of a Standard of service (SoS) that describes how an asset will perform in objective and measurable terms. The SoS includes
141-808: A 35-year concession contract. Conversely, in 2004 the South Korean government charged the Korean High Speed Rail Construction Authority , a public entity, to construct its high-speed rail line, 412 km from Seoul to Busan , in two phases. While different implementation strategies, Taiwan successfully delivered the HSR project in terms of project management (time, cost, and quality), whereas South Korea successfully delivered its HSR project in terms of product success (meeting owners' and users' needs, particularly in ridership). Additionally, South Korea successfully created
188-437: A critical role in expanding national production capacity, which leads to increase in a country's wealth. In developing nations, expansions in electric grids , roadways , and railways show marked growth in economic development. However, the relationship does not remain in advanced nations who witness ever lower rates of return on such infrastructure investments . Nevertheless, infrastructure yields indirect benefits through
235-795: A degree of exposure to infrastructure debt have done so indirectly, through investments made in infrastructure funds managed by specialised Canadian, US and Australian funds. On November 29, 2011, the British government unveiled an unprecedented plan to encourage large-scale pension investments in new roads, hospitals, airports, etc. across the UK. The plan is aimed at enticing 20 billion pounds ($ 30.97 billion) of investment in domestic infrastructure projects. Pension and sovereign wealth funds are major direct investors in infrastructure. Most pension funds have long-dated liabilities, with matching long-term investments. These large institutional investors need to protect
282-832: A period of several centuries. It represents a number of successes and failures in the past that were termed public works and even before that internal improvements . In the 21st century, this type of development is termed infrastructure. Infrastructure can be described as tangible capital assets (income-earning assets), whether owned by private companies or the government. Infrastructure may be owned and managed by governments or by private companies, such as sole public utility or railway companies. Generally, most roads, major ports and airports, water distribution systems and sewage networks are publicly owned, whereas most energy and telecommunications networks are privately owned. Publicly owned infrastructure may be paid for from taxes, tolls, or metered user fees, whereas private infrastructure
329-645: A practice that continued until 1825. The first colonial censuses were conducted in New South Wales in 1828; in Tasmania in 1841; South Australia in 1844; Western Australia in 1848; and Victoria in 1854. Each colony continued to collect statistics separately despite attempts to coordinate collections through an annual Conference of Statisticians . The first simultaneous census across all the Australian colonies occurred in 1881. A national statistical office
376-641: A satisfactory statistical service through their own offices, resulting in mergers with the CBCS. The Tasmanian Statistical Office was transferred to the CBCS in 1924, and the New South Wales Bureau of Statistics amalgamated into it in 1957. The final unification of all state statistical offices with the CBCS occurred in the late 1950s under the guidance of Sir Stanley Carver, who was the New South Wales Statistician acting as
423-603: A theoretical justification for this policy in The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money , published in 1936. Following the Great Recession , some again proposed investing in infrastructure as a means of stimulating the economy (see the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 ). While infrastructure development may initially be damaging to the natural environment , justifying
470-566: Is a complex investment category reserved for highly sophisticated institutional investors who can gauge jurisdiction-specific risk parameters, assess a project’s long-term viability, understand transaction risks, conduct due diligence , negotiate (multi) creditors ’ agreements, make timely decisions on consents and waivers , and analyze loan performance over time. Research conducted by the World Pensions Council (WPC) suggests that most UK and European pensions wishing to gain
517-404: Is a platform for governance, commerce, and economic growth and is "a lifeline for modern societies". It is the hallmark of economic development . It has been characterized as the mechanism that delivers the "..fundamental needs of society: food, water, energy, shelter, governance ... without infrastructure, societies disintegrate and people die." Adam Smith argued that fixed asset spending
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#1732772303831564-417: Is designed by civil engineers or architects . Generally road and rail transport networks, as well as water and waste management infrastructure are designed by civil engineers , electrical power and lighting networks are designed by power engineers and electrical engineers , and telecommunications, computing and monitoring networks are designed by systems engineers . In the case of urban infrastructure,
611-571: Is generally paid for by metered user fees. Major investment projects are generally financed by the issuance of long-term bonds . Hence, government owned and operated infrastructure may be developed and operated in the private sector or in public-private partnerships , in addition to in the public sector . In the United States, public spending on infrastructure has varied between 2.3% and 3.6% of GDP since 1950. Many financial institutions invest in infrastructure . Infrastructure debt
658-545: Is referred to as Infrastructure Planning . These activities are usually performed in preparation for preliminary engineering or conceptual design that is led by civil engineers or architects . Preliminary studies may also be performed and may include steps such as: Investment in infrastructure is part of the capital accumulation required for economic development and may affect socioeconomic measures of welfare. The causality of infrastructure and economic growth has always been in debate. Generally, infrastructure plays
705-556: Is used for defining electoral boundaries , planning infrastructure , establishing community services, and formulating public policy. In 2016, the ABS conducted its census largely online through its website and logins rather than through paper forms. The bureau took the form offline for 43 hours from 8:09 pm on 9 August until 2:29 pm on 11 August. On 10 August, the Australian Statistician, David Kalisch , stated that
752-935: The United Nations Statistical Commission (UNSC) , the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Committee on Statistics and Statistical Policy (CSSP), and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Conference for European Statisticians (CES). The ABS has a partnership with DFAT to deliver statistical and institutional capability building programs for the Indo-Pacific region , both in-country and by hosting development visits. The ABS has also hosted international development and study visits from countries including China , Japan , Canada , Korea , and Nepal . Since 1975,
799-643: The ABS conducts the Australian Census of Population and Housing as stipulated under federal law in the Constitution of Australia . The most recent was conducted on 10 August 2021. Statistics from the census were published on the ABS website in June 2022. The census aims to accurately measure the population, number of dwellings in Australia, and a range of their key characteristics. Census data
846-698: The ABS has several other major publications covering topics including: In August 2017, the Treasurer issued a directive to the ABS to undertake a statistical collection into the views of Australians on the electoral roll about same-sex marriage . This is now referred to as the Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey . The ABS previously published the Yearbook Australia , from 1908 to 2012 under various ISSNs and titles ( Commonwealth yearbook , Official yearbook of
893-765: The ABS uses mesh block boundaries to approximate them; therefore the ASGS units should only be used for statistical purposes. The ASGS was introduced by the ABS in 2011 as a replacement for the Australian Standard Geographical Classification (ASGC). New editions essentially coincide with the 5-yearly ABS censuses, though boundary changes made to Non-ABS structures may be updated as often as annually. The significant changes for Edition 2 (2016) included: The significant changes for Edition 3 (2021) included: The ABS engages in international and regional statistical forums including
940-544: The ABS, as well as structures defined by other bodies but which the ABS uses for reporting statistical information. The ABS structures within the ASGS include a Main Structure, which is a nested hierarchy of geographic areas ranging from very small units to the whole of Australia. There are other ABS structures that are schemes with specific uses. They are built from units of the Main Structure, or smaller units in
987-503: The ASGS so they match boundaries in the ABS Main Structure. The current version of the ASGS is Version 3 of 2021. These structures within the ASGS are defined by the ABS. These structures are defined by bodies other than the ABS, though the ABS commits to providing a range of statistics for them. Where the legal or other boundaries of the geographical units within these structures don't exactly match mesh blocks boundaries,
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#17327723038311034-409: The Commonwealth Bureau of Census and Statistics, established in 1905, four years after Federation of Australia ; it took on its present name in 1975. The ABS conducts Australia's Census of Population and Housing every five years and publishes its findings online. Efforts to count the population of Australia started in 1795 with "musters" that involved physically gathering a community to be counted,
1081-608: The Commonwealth Statistician. In 1974, the CBCS was abolished and replaced by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). The Australian Bureau of Statistics Act 1975 established the ABS as a statutory authority headed by the Australian Statistician, who reported to the federal Treasurer . In 2015, the Australian Government announced a $ 250 million five-year investment in the ABS to modernise its systems and processes. Once every 5 years,
1128-533: The Commonwealth of Australia ). The ABS publishes an annual report with a detailed description of the bureau's activities during the preceding year, accounting for its use of public resources and performance against planned outcomes. The ABS maintains the Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS), a system of geographic statistical areas in Australia. The ASGS includes geographic structures created and maintained by
1175-466: The Urban Areas structure, to ensure complete geographic coverage. The non-ABS structures within the ASGS have geographical units whose boundaries are defined by bodies such as state governments, and that may or may not cover the whole of Australia without gaps or overlaps. Examples include electoral divisions, Postal Areas, and Suburbs and Localities. The boundaries of these units are approximated in
1222-660: The asset class- notably in large European jurisdictions such as France and the UK An interesting comparison between privatisation versus government-sponsored public works involves high-speed rail (HSR) projects in East Asia . In 1998, the Taiwan government awarded the Taiwan High Speed Rail Corporation , a private organisation, to construct the 345 km line from Taipei to Kaohsiung in
1269-530: The bureau relocated to Canberra , where in 1932 it was subsumed within the Department of the Treasury . The first national census, which deployed about 7300 collectors, occurred in 1911. Although coordination and data sharing were facilitated by CBCS, each state in Australia initially had its own statistical office and worked with the CBCS to produce national data. Some states faced challenges in providing
1316-405: The definition of a minimum condition grade , which is established by considering the consequences of a failure of the infrastructure asset. The key components of infrastructure asset management are: After completing asset management, official conclusions are made. The American Society of Civil Engineers gave the United States a "D+" on its 2017 infrastructure report card. Most infrastructure
1363-595: The existence of modern rail infrastructure is a significant indicator of a country’s economic advancement: this perspective is illustrated notably through the Basic Rail Transportation Infrastructure Index (known as BRTI Index) During the Great Depression of the 1930s, many governments undertook public works projects in order to create jobs and stimulate the economy. The economist John Maynard Keynes provided
1410-476: The general layout of roads, sidewalks and public places may sometimes be developed at a conceptual level by urban planners or architects , although the detailed design will still be performed by civil engineers. Depending upon the height of the building, it may be designed by an architect or for tall buildings ,a structural engineer , and if an industrial or processing plant is required, the structures and foundation work will still be done by civil engineers, but
1457-597: The head of the ABS has been known as the " Australian Statistician ". The title has been previously known as the "Commonwealth Statistician". The incumbent since 11 December 2019 is David Gruen . Previous incumbents have included David Kalisch and Brian Pink . Pink retired in January 2014. Ian Ewing acted in the role from 13 January to 14 February 2014, and Jonathan Palmer acted from 17 February to 12 December 2014. Infrastructure planning Infrastructure (also known as " capital goods " , or " fixed capital " )
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1504-464: The investment of institutional investors in developing countries' infrastructure markets, it is necessary to design risk-allocation mechanisms more carefully, given the higher risks of developing countries' markets. The notion of supranational and public co-investment in infrastructure projects jointly with private institutional asset owners has gained traction amongst IMF , World Bank and European Commission policy makers in recent years notably in
1551-565: The last months of 2014/early 2015: Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group (October 2014) and adoption of the €315 bn European Commission Investment Plan for Europe (December 2014). Some experts have warned against the risk of "infrastructure nationalism", insisting that steady investment flows from foreign pension and sovereign funds were key for the long-term success of
1598-690: The long-term value of their investments from inflationary debasement of currency and market fluctuations, and provide recurrent cash flows to pay for retiree benefits in the short-medium term: from that perspective, think-tanks such as the World Pensions Council (WPC) have argued that infrastructure is an ideal asset class that provides tangible advantages such as long duration (facilitating cash flow matching with long-term liabilities), protection against inflation and statistical diversification (low correlation with ‘traditional’ listed assets such as equity and fixed income investments), thus reducing overall portfolio volatility. Furthermore, in order to facilitate
1645-560: The need to assess environmental impacts, it may contribute in mitigating the "perfect storm" of environmental and energy sustainability , particularly in the role transportation plays in modern society . Offshore wind power in England and Denmark may cause issues to local ecosystems but are incubators to clean energy technology for the surrounding regions. Ethanol production may overuse available farmland in Brazil but have propelled
1692-434: The non-government sector, reporting breaches of census-related data, open tendering, and stability in funding the bureau. An independent panel was also established by the Australian Statistician to help to ensure the quality of the 2016 census. The 2021 census was conducted during the height of the global Covid-19 pandemic . In obtaining data from 10,852,208 dwellings, it exceeded the ABS target. The dwelling response rate
1739-653: The process equipment and piping may be designed by industrial engineer or a process engineer . In terms of engineering tasks, the design and construction management process usually follows these steps: In general, infrastructure is planned by urban planners or civil engineers at a high level for transportation, water/waste water, electrical, urban zones, parks and other public and private systems. These plans typically analyze policy decisions and impacts of trade offs for alternatives. In addition, planners may lead or assist with environmental review that are commonly required to construct infrastructure. Colloquially this process
1786-571: The review included that the ABS should strengthen its approach to managing the performance of outsourced ICT suppliers and that the ABS "should draw upon the lessons it takes from the Census experience to help to guide and to advocate for the cultural change path it is following". A Senate inquiry was held into the 2016 census, reporting in November and making 16 recommendations including externally conducted privacy impact assessments, engagement with
1833-615: The same structure. Examples include the Indigenous Structure, a structure for urban areas, and the Remoteness Structure. For all the ABS structures, all geographic units at a given level of the structure cover the whole of Australia without gaps or overlaps, though this sometimes involves defining units, such as 'Remainder of State/Territory (<state>)' in the Urban Centres and Localities level of
1880-412: The site – had occurred. They had been much smaller than attacks experienced by other Australian Government websites and the preventable outages had resulted from a failed geoblocking strategy, compounded by a hardware failure when the contractor, IBM , attempted to reboot the system after the fourth attack. There was no indication that the census data was insecure or was compromised. Many recommendations of
1927-631: The supply chain, land values, small business growth, consumer sales, and social benefits of community development and access to opportunity. The American Society of Civil Engineers cite the many transformative projects that have shaped the growth of the United States including the Transcontinental Railroad that connected major cities from the Atlantic to Pacific coast; the Panama Canal that revolutionised shipment in connected
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1974-688: The two oceans in the Western hemisphere; the Interstate Highway System that spawned the mobility of the masses; and still others that include the Hoover Dam , Trans-Alaskan pipeline , and many bridges (the Golden Gate , Brooklyn , and San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge ). All these efforts are testimony to the infrastructure and economic development correlation. European and Asian development economists have also argued that
2021-618: The website was closed after denial-of-service attacks from an overseas source targeted the online form; "the first three were successfully repelled and the fourth one caused the difficulty that then led us to bring the system down as a precaution". A comprehensive review by Alastair MacGibbon, Special Adviser to the Prime Minister on Cyber Security, tabled in October, concluded that five distributed denial-of-service attacks – in which incoming traffic from many different sources "floods"
2068-555: Was 96.1%, an increase from 95.1% in 2016. The ABS publishes monthly and quarterly economic information spanning interest rates, property prices, employment, the value of the Australian dollar , and commodity prices. Publications include things such as: the Key Economic Indicators, Consumer Price Index, Australian National Accounts, Average Weekly Earnings, and Labour Force. Outside the main economic indicators,
2115-550: Was offered the position in December 1905, but had to decline due to his obligations to the New South Wales government. Australian Bureau of Statistics The Australian Bureau of Statistics ( ABS ) is an Australian Government agency that collects and analyses statistics on economic, population, environmental , and social issues to advise the Australian Government . The bureau's function originated in
2162-522: Was subsequently proposed to develop comparable statistics. The Commonwealth Bureau of Census and Statistics (CBCS) was established under the Census and Statistics Act 1905 . Sir George Handley Knibbs was appointed as the first Commonwealth Statistician . The bureau was located in Melbourne – at that time the temporary seat of federal government – attached to the Department of Home Affairs . In 1928,
2209-470: Was the "third rationale for the state, behind the provision of defense and justice." Societies enjoy the use of "...highway, waterway, air, and rail systems that have allowed the unparalleled mobility of people and goods. Water-borne diseases are virtually nonexistent because of water and wastewater treatment, distribution, and collection systems. In addition, telecommunications and power systems have enabled our economic growth." This development happened over
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