Both the numerator and denominator for non-Indigenous persons come from the SEW. Measures based on the 2012 SEW are consistent with those supplied for COAG reporting from previous cycles of this survey. Prior to 2009 all persons in very remote areas were excluded from the SEW. Very remote areas represent about two per cent of the total Australian and 20 per cent of the Northern Territory population. From 2009 onwards SEW has a slightly wider scope. It includes persons in very remote areas but continues to exclude persons in Indigenous communities in very remote areas. The current exclusion has only a minor impact on national estimates or estimates by State/Territory except for the Northern Territory where such persons account for about 15 per cent of the population. The Australian Standard Classification of Education (ASCED) (cat. no. 1272.0) has been used in all surveys with education items since 2001 and allows the education and training items between different surveys to be compared. The Census of Population and Housing and the Survey of Learning and Work (ABS cat. no. 4235.0) also provide information on educational attainment. Both the numerator and the denominator for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander persons come from the NATSIHS. Measures based on the 2012-13 NATSIHS are consistent with those supplied for COAG reporting from previous cycles of this survey. The data items used to construct the measures in the AATSIHS and SEW are consistent and comparable, and support assessment of change over time. While there are a range of differences between the scope, coverage, timing and collection methodologies of the collections, these issues do not affect their broad consistency for this measure. |