UniFiji says any review of the Statistics Act 1961 must be comprehensive and as objective as possible due to Fiji’s social complexity

In making submissions to the Department of Statistics on the review of the now outdated Statistics Act, the University of Fiji says that any legislative review must employ an appropriate methodology based both on science and a keen understanding of the social milieu of Fiji.

Vice Chancellor, Professor Shaista Shameem emphasized that the aim behind collection of data for statistical analysis by the government or any stakeholder should be scientifically robust and objective so that policy development is based on reality rather than assumptions and presumptions about our complex Fijian society.

The University made a total of 8 recommendations for the Statistics Department to include in its current revision of the Act. These are as follows:

• the need for an accurate interpretation section,
• the role of the Bureau of Statistics to put in place transparent quality assurance benchmarks on data collection and information techniques at all stages of the process to reduce inconsistencies in the collection of data, and to enhance digital data storage with better back-up facilities to prevent data theft,
• to include collection of environmental data in the duties of the Government Statistician,
• to use gender neutral language in the collection of data in accordance with modern practice and Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) requirements,
• the task of the (new proposed) Statistics Advisory Committee to also advise on any gaps in the statistical services provided so that the Bureau can improve on its services,
• to include an officer from the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change on the proposed Statistics Advisory Committee,
• to amend the First Schedule to include underdevelopment, well-being, disability, crime and justice, gender and sex, sexual orientation, and technology and digitalization competency on the list of items for data collection, and
• to include capacity for a continually updated index structure for the First Schedule of the revised legislation.

Professor Shameem said that the revision of the Act gave the Bureau an opportunity to get things right so that anyone could obtain an accurate picture of the economic, social, technological or any other attribute of the demographics of the country. People needed to obtain information from policy makers without having to decipher whether the data collection could be tainted or biased in any way. She said that the people of Fiji had the constitutional right to receive information based on scientific methods of data collection so that they could make wise decisions for themselves and their families.

Similarly, policy makers could draft sustainable policy only if the data they based their policies and law on was accurately collected and analysed and founded on objectivity and authenticity from the start, she said.