Australian Bureau of Statistics to fund new Wollongong Chair

Dec 03, 2004

The pressing need to establish a program of research into new and innovative methods of collecting, analysing and exploiting statistical information has led to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) partnering with the University of Wollongong (UOW) to establish a Chair in Statistical Methodology.

A Memorandum of Understanding formalising the establishment of the new professorial post will be signed in Canberra on Monday December 6 between UOW Vice-Chancellor, Professor Gerard Sutton, and the Australian Statistician, Mr Dennis Trewin, from the ABS.

The new Chair (a research position as a Professorial Fellow) will be located within the Centre for Statistical and Survey Methodology at UOW. A former Director from the ABS, Dr Robert Clark, also recently joined the centre, as a Senior Lecturer. The centre will undertake fundamental research, industry focused research, and contract research projects involving statistical or survey methodology. It will also develop a program of training courses in statistical methodology.

The ABS will fund the salary and on-costs for the Professor of Statistical Methodology for an initial period of five years and the ABS will support at least two Australian Research Council Linkage grants. Part of the arrangement involves UOW developing a proposal for a professional doctorate in statistics.

UOW's Associate Dean (Research), Faculty of Informatics and Director of the Centre for Statistical and Survey Methodology, Professor David Steel, said that valid and effective statistical methodology was the foundation of much of the information needed by government and industry.

"More and more, important decisions need to be made using relevant and reliable data obtained and analysed using sound statistical methodology. However, the information must also be obtained in a cost-effective manner and hence the need to develop methods that could obtain data more cheaply and also fulfill the needs for information using data that are already available," Professor Steel said.

A strong relationship already exists between the ABS and the statistics group at UOW including the ABS funding undergraduate scholarships for students undertaking a major in Applied Statistics. In most years, at least one UOW student obtains an honours year cadetship, worth over $20,000. There are usually five to seven such cadetships awarded on a nationally competitive basis. In 2005, UOW will have three of the cadetship holders. The ABS has been the industry partner on four ARC linkage grants with UOW since 1995.

ABS' Mr Trewin said the agreement would forge stronger links between the ABS and the university sector and ensure that statistical methodology skills are available more widely around the nation.

"Statistical methodology is an area of critical importance to the ABS and other providers of statistics, Mr Trewin said.

"It requires specialist training to ensure quality statistics are produced for Australia. It is increasingly important in the information age and there is need for more people with these skills," he said.

Time and place of signing ceremony: Australian Bureau of Statistics House. Media wishing to attend should first go to the main reception desk on the ground floor. Signing to take place at 2.30pm on Monday December 6.

Further information: Contact Professor David Steel, UOW's Associate Dean (Research), Faculty of Informatics and Director, Centre for Statistical and Survey Methodology on (02) 4221 3823; or at the Australian Bureau of Statistics phone Kay Barney on (02) 6252 7480 or 0417 459560 or Rod Campbell on (02) 6252 6139/0418 202580.

For more information, contact:

media@uow.edu.au
University of Wollongong
Ph: (02) 4221 5942; fax (02) 4221 3128