An attempt by the Australian Bureau of Statistics to cut costs and corners led to the “shocking” and last-minute cancellation of a key survey that would have cast light on how households have navigated the cost-of-living crisis.
Newly released ABS briefing documents to Andrew Leigh, the assistant minister for Treasury, reveal how the Canberra-based agency scrambled but ultimately failed to salvage its long-awaited survey on income and housing for 2023-24, which had been due for release in July.
