1. Managing the Implementation of SNA, BPM and Related International Standards in a NSO Context
Authors: Derick Cullen and Bernard Williams
Presenter: Michael Davies
Australian Bureau of Statistics

2. Aim of the paper To share ABS experience and lessons
ABS implementing the new standards very early

3. Changes SNA08 BPM6 Industrial classification: Institutional sector
ANZSIC
related to ISIC rev 4
impacts on frames, samples and outputs
Institutional sector

4. Big bang ABS implementing all changes at once:
+ minimises disruption for clients
+ reduces total cumulative effort:
system, questionnaire changes
balancing
- makes it a very large task
- can be difficult to disentangle individual impacts
- not all standards / issues finalised in time
- may not be as responsive to change

5. Managing the change Governance structure and project management
Communication with clients
Methodological change
Principles

6. Principles Departures from standards Timing
Coordination and consultation

7. Principles (continued)
Departures from standards:
few in number & demonstrate a significant benefit or avoidance of an unwarranted cost
carried through to all accounts/statistics
enable a straightforward reconciliation with the standard where feasible
be implemented after extensive consultation and publicity

8. Principles (continued)
Timing:
implement at the same time as other changes
implement at the same time across series
Coordination and consultation:
central coordination to ensure a consistent message
sufficiently early
equal opportunity to access information

9. Principle - enable a straightforward reconciliation with the standard where feasible
Rationale:
ABS support for standards and international comparability
only a couple of changes thought to be significant at the broadest levels
thought would be relatively simple
Reality:
data generally not available
detail of account compilation
Rethink principle?

10. Reconciliation principle - related issue
As an early adopter of the standards should ABS reconcile to SNA93/BPM5?
international comparability improved
dilemma for ABS if both SNA93 and SNA08 versions of GDP:
which is the official statistic for Australia?
ABS will only publish one official GDP statistic (based on SNA08)
ABS will not allow recompiled data on SNA93 basis to be called Australia's GDP
parallel systems

11. Backcasting, bridging, parallel runs, seasonal adjustment
How to maintain time series?
How to determine seasonal patterns?
ABS revises historical series to make them as continuous as possible:
measuring level shifts
backcasting or bridging series
standard methodology applied
assuming current seasonal patterns apply

12. Implementation timing
Reference period - September quarter 2009
annual national accounts
source data from annual business surveys required for
indicator series, e.g.:
July 2009 Retail trade
August 2009 International trade in goods and services
September quarter 2009 BoP & IIP

13. Thank you