Just a week or so ago, the Government announced that there would be additional funding going to the ABS for computer upgrades that would allow the 2016 Census to go ahead as planned. This is fabulous news. The level of detail that is available from the Census is unparalleled by any other source and we would be the poorer for not having it.

The only downside to having the Census go ahead in 2016 is that I’ll lose a bit of work as companies and organisations wouldn’t need to pay me to create current data for locations in which they are interested.

The Census by itself doesn’t ‘tell’ you anything. The Census combined with good customer and location data provides the structure and context necessary to turn data into Wisdom. There is a constant need to understand the environment and community in which your best customers live. Analysing your data through this prism, you will be able to be that much more relevant to your existing customers and find more of those that don’t already know you.

For numerical ninjas like me, the Census is a treasure trove of detail that holds endless possibilities. It is the foundation for many of the data products that I and many others create. Because it is a census and not a survey, it is the most complete picture of who we are, where we live and how we live that is available.

Stretching the intercensal period to ten years from the current five year interval would have meant that we would not have a good idea of how we are truly changing. We know that with the tremendous growth in population we have experienced over the last several decades that the face of Australia (literally) has evolved enormously. In order for our governments to be relevant to us, we need to know exactly who we are. In order for businesses to be relevant to their customers, they need the accuracy of a five-yearly Census, no matter how much revenue it costs me.