Why not use Australian Bureau of Statistics Census statistics?
Using the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Census statistics gives a result that, compared to the Priority Schools Programs (PSP) Survey is: • not as current – the latest Census data was collected in 2006 • too broad for our specific educational purposes • less valid and reliable and more logistically difficult to use • less well accepted by school communities • inconsistent with the much finer PSP survey information when tested by NSW Department of Education and Training officers • less valid when making fine distinctions because ABS socio-economic status (SES) indexes use reported income as a factor, many asset rich people are able to minimise their incomes • less rigorous because the Census measures of SES do not weight the factors used – their prime interest is in the SES of geographic communities rather than groups within those communities.
