October 30, 2009
Embargoed: 11:30 AM (AEDT)
78/2009
ABS sheds light on business growth and performance
The ABS today released confidentialised microdata that tracks the performance of
businesses over time. The Business Longitudinal Database (BLD) contains financial
and other characteristics of small and medium businesses in Australia over a three
year period.
The BLD is a new and valuable resource that will allow analysts to monitor and
evaluate the impacts of policies and industry trends on Australian businesses at the
individual business level.
The Business Longitudinal Database demonstrates how Australia is improving the
quality of information to inform research and policy, without compromising on issues
such as privacy and additional survey burden.
The BLD complements the large range of ABS macro-economic outputs and meets
very strong demand from government, academics and private users for micro-
economic data. It will increase understanding of:
the activities or factors that are relevant to business performance; and
the business characteristics that are associated with these activities or
factors.
The BLD is made available through a Confidentialised Unit Record File (CURF),
which is released with the approval of the Australian Statistician. To ensure
microdata confidentiality is maintained, access is managed in a unique virtual
environment, the Remote Access Data Laboratory. Further information is available at
the CURF Microdata Entry Page on the ABS website.
FURTHER INFORMATION
Interview requests and media inquiries
Corporate Communications 1300 175 070
When reporting ABS data, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (or
ABS) must be attributed as the source
NEWS 
