Assistant Director at Australian Bureau Of Statistics (ABS)
What's your job about?
The ABS produces important, accurate statistics that help inform the broader economic climate.
I’m currently in the Financial Statistics section (which is actually a lot more exciting than it sounds). I lead a team in producing the Housing Finance and Lending Finance publications on a monthly basis. Banks and other lenders submit data to APRA related to owner occupied, investment and first home buyer loans, and the RBA and ABS receive this data via our tripartite agreement. Working within a tight timetable, we put all this information together internally to produce insightful analysis. I also write briefing notes which summarise the main economic story to external stakeholders such as the Treasury and Minister’s Office.
Australia’s housing market is currently one of the most topical points of social debate. Due to the current regulatory environment, there’s been a lot of media interest around our housing stats. People’s very lives could be dependent on movements in levels of housing debt and house prices. This makes it especially critical to produce stats that are accurate, timely and useful so that people can make informed decisions from them.
What's your background?
I’ve lived in Sydney my whole life, and studied a commerce and law double degree at the University of Sydney. I started at the ABS right after I graduated uni. I’ve been at the ABS for about 5 years now, and have had a variety of experience here. On one hand I’ve been deeply involved in statistical and economic analysis of capital expenditure, mineral and petroleum exploration and housing. However, I’ve also had experience in managing the Provider Contact Unit in Sydney, which can be considered a large call centre where we call up survey respondents when their forms are overdue and also help them out with completing their surveys. This experience was highly valuable to my personal development, as I had to learn how to manage a huge team, negotiate with various stakeholders, and effectively organise time and resources under budget constraints. Outside of the ABS, I’ve dabbled in a lot of hobbies and currently freelance as a photographer amongst other things. This helps keep me sane as I’ve always needed to have a creative outlet!
Could someone with a different background do your job?
Yes for sure. I have educational qualifications in commerce, law and interior design, which is probably an unconventional and surprising mix for this role. I don’t think it really matters what you have studied- as long as you’re a quick learner, and possess strong interpersonal and teamwork skills.
It’s also important to have a strong sense of resilience and self-motivation, as we work in such a fast-paced and dynamic environment. We work within tight deadlines and clunky systems (for now) and as a result often run into frustrating system issues. You need to have the stamina to keep pushing forward, and patience to resolve issues one step at a time. If you’re in a leadership capacity, you also have a responsibility to keep cool-headed, positive and lead by example.
What's the coolest thing about your job?
I love that I’m working on the Australian housing market, which is incredibly topical at the moment. We work hard to produce data to a high level of quality so that we can enable a more informed community and government. There is an overwhelming wealth of data sources available (both internally and externally) and it’s interesting yet challenging to pull it all together and make meaningful analysis.
What are the limitations of your job?
My role involves working within tight timeframes and overlapping timetables, so there is never really a lull period. You often don’t get to work on large projects as business-as-usual takes precedence. You may also get frustrated with yourself as you realise you don’t have enough time and energy to solve every single problem. Personally however I still prefer this fast-paced, challenging environment. You just need to ensure you’re aware of your stress levels, acknowledge the fact you’re doing the best you can, and be patient with how things are progressing.
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