Head counters wanted

THE Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) is on the lookout for census collectors in Casey.
On Monday Australia’s largest peacetime recruitment campaign began in Victoria as the (ABS) started the search for census staff across the state.
The fifteenth Census of Population and Housing, to be conducted by the ABS, will take place on Tuesday, 8 August. The census aims to accurately measure the number of people in Australia on Census Night, their key characteristics, and the dwellings in which they live.
In the City of Casey, the ABS is looking for up to 25 area supervisors who will between them train and manage 322 collectors.
Director of Census Victoria Andrew Henderson said: “Their work will help build a detailed picture of the ways in which the people of the area live and ultimately assist in planning community facilities such as schools, child-care and medical centres.
“Many of the decisions affecting local people, whether made by councils, social service organisations or small businesses, are based on information from the census,” Mr Henderson said.
In the 2001 census 176,075 people were counted in the City of Casey, nearly 23 per cent more than were counted in 1996. There were 850 indigenous people in the city and 37,408 people who spoke a language other than English at home.
The period of employment for area supervisors is from late April 2006 to early October 2006 and is on a part-time basis. Salary is contract based.
Advertisements for 26,000 collector positions across Australia will appear in April 2006. More information is available from www.abs.gov.au/recruitment or call 1300 CENSUS (1300 236 787).
Applications close 3 March.