1. The Water Account Australia 2008-09: Background and Main Findings
ABS House
45 Benjamin Way, Belconnen ACT
29 November 2010
The Water Account Australia : Background and Main Findings

2. Background 4th ABS Water Account Australia Changes since last time
Last release 28 November 2006
Changes since last time
Adoption of the SEEA-Water 2007
Water Act 2007
The Water Account Australia is part of a developing program of environmental-economic accounts at the ABS

3. Information silos
Data developed to answer one particular question or problem
Difficult to figure out if all information is included
Not always easy to see the whole picture, or how it relates to other things
Source: Julie Hass, Statistics Norway

4. Environmental-Economic Accounting
Help to make sense of the larger picture
Help to identify pieces that are missing
Can make connections to other statistics - especially economic statistics
Source: Julie Hass, Statistics Norway

5. Audiences for information Indicators and accounts
Headline indicators
Data users
Indicators on specific subjects or industries
Information
Decision makers & wider public
Research
Is there an issue?
Advice
Yes
Indicators
Managers
and analysts
SEEA-W
Standard tables
Supplementary tables
Analysis
Ultimatly the relevance (policy relevance) of any indicator and set of indicators depends upon what use they are put.
This means we need to understand the relationship between indicators and their audiences.
Indicators are high level pieces of information suitable for governmet and the wider public as well a professionals such as senior managers.
Indicators flag issues. When a minister or councilor sees an indicator they should ask “is there an issue here?”
If there is an issue then there is a need for more information and analysis from managers and analysts.
Of course indicators are not the only way of identifying issues, research can throw up issues as can advice and policy papers. The benefit of the core linked indicators is that they provide a broad view of issues, compared to research which tends to focus on single issues making it difficult to compare the priority of the issue.
Indicators are not much use unless they are reported. There already exist sector specific indicator reports, such as the Economic Development report. The Social Report has a broad focus on social related issues but still has a focus on social issues.
Sector reports will have an audience with those in the general public interested in a particular sector, but will appeal to those managers involved in the sector.
Core linked indicators provide indicators across sectors and for this reason fits higher up the information triangle. Because of the broad nature linked core indicators there should also be significant appeal to the public, especially where information relates to their area, as well as elected reoresebtatuves central and local.
Headline indicators, which would be a set of maybe indicators, are at the very top of the information triangle and would have very broad appeal. Everyone wants to know if New Zealand is making progress, and many people want to know whether or not progress is balanced.
Researchers
Data items

6. SEEA-Water Economy and environment Stocks and flows
Monetary and physical
Pollution
Water quality

7. 12 Standard Tables of SEEA-Water
Physical supply
Physical use
Gross and net emissions (of pollution)
Emissions (of pollution) by Sewerage Industry (ISIC 37)
Hybrid (Monetary and Physical) supply
Hybrid use
Hybrid supply and use
Hybrid water supply and sewerage for own use
Government accounts for water related collective consumption services (Monetary)
National expenditure for waste management (Monetary)
Financial accounts for waste water management (Monetary)
Asset account (Physical)
Plus 12 Supplementary tables
ABS
ABS
BoM

8. Uses of water accounts Source of pressure on water resources:
Macro trends in total water use, emissions, water use by natural source and purpose, etc. ‘Decoupling’ economic growth and water use, pollution
Industry-level trends: indicators used for environmental-economic profiles
Technology and driving forces: water intensity/productivity and total (domestic) water requirements to meet final demand
Modelling. E.g. projections of future water needs, impact of reduced water availability on economic activity or environmental health

9. Data sources for the Water Account Australia
ABS surveys
Water Supply Survey
Agricultural Survey
Annual Integrated Collection (of Mining, Manufacturing and other industries)
Electricity Generators Survey of Water Use
Household surveys (March Labour Force Supp. Survey)
Other
National performance reports (NWC and water associations)
Data from Commonwealth and State/territory governments
Annual reports of companies
Research

10. Main findings
Water consumption down 25% since , from 18,767 GL to 14,101 GL
38% fall in agriculture – 12,191 GL to 7,589 GL
Large falls in cotton, rice, dairy pasture and sugar
Value of distributed water supplied is up nearly $2 billion (56%), from $3.5 billion to $5.5 billion
Household paying $927 million extra
Businesses paying $994 million extra
Average price of water nearly doubled from $0.40/kL to 0.78/kL
Household pay the highest average price $1.93/kL
Agriculture pays the lowest average price $0.12/kL

11. Main findings, cont.
Industry valued added per GL is up $41 million/GL or 76% from $54 million/GL to $95million/GL
Largest increase in IVA mining of $129 million/GL or 133% ($97 m to $226m /GL)
Agriculture up 77% from $2.2 million/GLto $3.9 million/GL
Gross value of irrigated agricultural production up 13% or $1.4 billion from $10.6 to $12 billion
GVIAP is 29% of the total gross value of agricultural production (almost unchanged since when it was 30%)
GVIAP peaked in at $12.5 billion and 35% of total gross value of Agriculture production

12. Climate

13. Australian water consumption by industries and households

14. Agricultural activity

15. Water consumption by State
Percentage change to

16. Gross State Product per GL
ACT = $384m/GL in and
$536m/GL in

17. Industry gross value added per GL of water consumption
From 54 $m/GL in
to 95 $m/GL in

18. Inland Water Resources
Australia – physical water supply and use, (GL)
Key
Wastewater
Water
Reuse water ?
Sewerage
Water Supply ? 79 ? ? ? ? ?
103 7 27 9 87 2 ? ?
3267
143
339
228
944
1594
Agriculture
Mining
Manufacturing*
Electricity
Other industries
Households
* Note show is the supply of distributed water and reuse water by mining and manufacturing. (25 GL in total) 33
3626
715
336
44841
320
172
9336
515 ?
334 12
44484 93 ?
722
Inland Water Resources
The Sea
1163
* Note shown is the supply of distributed water and reuse water by mining and manufacturing, 25 GL in total.

19. Inland Water Resources
Australia – monetary water supply and use, (million AUD$)
Key
Wastewater
Water
Reuse water 7
Sewerage
ISIC 37
Water Supply
ISIC 36 ? ? 21
208 6
1406
3316 ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 3
406
153
490 77
1229
3074
Agriculture
ISIC 1
Mining*
ISIC 5-9
Manufacturing*
ISIC 10-33
Electricity
ISIC 35
Other ISIC
2,3,38,39, 45-99
Households
* Note show is the supply of distributed water and reuse water by mining and manufacturing. (25 GL in total) ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
Inland Water Resources
The Sea ?
* Note shown is the supply of distributed water and reuse water by mining and manufacturing, 25 GL in total. No monetary available for these.

20. Monetary vs. physical use of distributed water (% of total use)
Value of water
Volume of water

21. Australian average water prices for industry and households – $/kL
Agriculture $0.12/kL
Aust. Average $0.78/kL

22. Per capita household water consumption

23. Some problems in compilation of the water account
Classification of units to industry in the case of multiple activities and multiple sites.
Industry classifications used by water suppliers and others does not follow ANZSIC
Multiple data collections and poor coordination of data sharing
Many units supplying water or sewerage services are operated by government and data on this specific aspect of services are difficult to separately identify
Spatial referencing – economic data is related to enterprises and there is generally poor spatial referencing (usually to post code)
Estimation of losses in distribution
Recording of the flows for use of water in hydro-electricity and water for cooling
Definition and reporting of environment flows

24. Issues Timeliness – data available 17 months after reference period
Higher quality regional data are needed
Greater disaggregation of industry data
Surface and groundwater splits
Data sources are changing (in general improving but still not stable)
Understanding what and when we can get from other data providers (and especially BoM and NWC)
Development and application of water accounting standards at business, state, national and international levels
Appropriate valuation of water and water infrastructure assets
Better integration of environmental, social and economic data

25. An Integrated Environmental-Economic Information System for Australia
researchers
Socio-economic
Bio-physical
DEWHA, BoM, DCCEE,
Geoscience Australia,
MDBA, BRS, CSIRO,
state/territory, etc
Treasury, ABS, ABARE,
PC, PM&C, DRET,
state/territory, etc
Some agencies and researchers operate across both spaces

26. ABS Proposed plan for Integrated Environmental-Economic Account
Assist others (e.g. BoM, Victorian government, others)
Water Account
(29 November 2010)
Energy Account
(June 2011)
National Accounts
Data
Integrated
Environmental - Economic
Accounts
Land Account
(Pilot February 2011)
Waste Account
(2011?)
EPE Account
(2012?)
Environment Industry Account
(“Green Economy”?)
(2014)

27. Thank you to everyone outside of ABS that has assisted us Thank you to the ABS team Thank you for listening
Contact details
Dr. Michael Vardon
Director
Centre of Environment and Energy Statistics

28. Rainfall in Australia

29. % Annual Rainfall
% Annual Rainfall

30. Water consumption by State

31. Australian water consumption by industries and households