Why You Might Have Trouble Accessing ABS Web Pages or Your Survey Account

Updated

The ABS website is currently displaying a system notice stating that some users may have trouble accessing ABS web pages, their ABS survey account, or completing an ABS survey while upgrades are being made. The ABS says it is working to fully restore the service as soon as possible. If you are affected, the practical response is to retry later rather than assume your account or the page has been removed.

What the notice covers

The notice on the ABS homepage identifies three specific areas of possible disruption:

  • ABS web pages — general browsing of statistics, articles and release pages
  • Your ABS survey account — signing in to a survey account
  • Completing an ABS survey — submitting survey responses

The cause given is upgrades being made to the service. The notice does not specify which pages, accounts or surveys are affected, so treat the disruption as intermittent rather than limited to a particular section.

What to do if you are affected

  1. Confirm the notice is still live. Check the ABS homepage for the system message before troubleshooting further. If the notice has been removed, the issue may be resolved.
  2. Retry the page or sign-in later. The ABS advises that service is being restored; a later attempt is the intended workaround while upgrades continue.
  3. Separate a site-wide issue from a local one. If other websites load normally and only ABS pages fail, the notice is the likely explanation. If everything fails, the problem is probably on your side.
  4. For survey deadlines, keep a record. Note the date and time you attempted to access your survey account or complete a survey, in case you need to explain a delay.

What the notice does not tell you

The notice does not give a restoration time, list affected services, or offer an alternative submission channel for surveys. It also does not say that data or account details are lost. Avoid assuming either that the outage is permanent or that a missed survey deadline will automatically be excused — the notice supports neither conclusion.

Checking whether the site is otherwise working

The homepage notice appears alongside current headline figures, including estimated resident population, the consumer price index, gross domestic product, average weekly earnings and the unemployment rate, plus lists of latest and future releases. If these elements load but a specific page or your account does not, the disruption described in the notice is the most likely cause. If the homepage itself fails to load, retry later and check again for the notice.