1252.0.55.001 - National Localities Index, Australia, Jul 2007 Final  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 20/07/2007  Ceased
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LOCALITIES INDEX


The Localities Index is a comprehensive list of Localities across Australia together with their Australian Standard Geographical Classification (ASGC) Main Structure codes current at the time of release and postcodes.

SPLIT LOCALITIES

Approximately 5% of the Localities listed lie across two or more Statistical Local Areas (SLAs) and are referred to as ‘split Localities’. Split Localities are those on the Localities Index which have more than one ASGC code.

Link to Streets Sub-Index

Addresses in split Localities can be coded to their correct SLA codes by means of the Streets Sub-Index.

LOCALITIES INDEX FILE FORMAT

The standard format for the Localities Index is a comma delimited ASCII text file with fixed length fields and a record length of 167 characters. This format is suitable for uploading to either micro or mainframe computers. The standard file format and example records are described below.

FIELD NAME*
START COLUMN
FIELD LENGTH
TYPE

Locality Name
1
40
alpha
Property Indicator (PI)
42
1
alpha
Postcode 1 (PC1)
44
4
numeric
Postcode 2 (PC2)
49
4
numeric
S/T Code
54
1
numeric
ASGC Code Major SLA
56
8
numeric
ASGC Code 2nd SLA
65
8
numeric
ASGC Code 3rd SLA
74
8
numeric
ASGC Code 4th SLA
83
8
numeric
ASGC Code 5th SLA
92
8
numeric
ASGC Code 6th SLA
101
8
numeric
ASGC Code 7th SLA
110
8
numeric
ASGC Code 8th SLA
119
8
numeric
Major SLA Name
128
40
alpha

*Fields are separated by a comma.

Example:


Locality Name
PI
PC1
PC2
S/T
Major SLA
2nd SLA (etc)
Major SLA Name

ABINGTON
,
,4660
,
,3
,15104000
,
,ISIS (S)
ACACIA DOWNS
,P
,4726
,
,3
,35050150
,
,ARAMAC (S)
ACACIA RIDGE
,
,4110
,
,3
,05051001
,05051552
,ACACIA RIDGE
ALBION
,
,4010
,
,3
,05051004
,05051634
,ALBION


All names on the National Localities Index are in CAPITALS. Output files are sorted by S/T and Locality Name.

FIELD NAMES AND DEFINITIONS

The following field names and definitions describe the information contained in the Localities Index. The Localities Index is subject to other rules which govern data representation and these are explained in the section titled Other Rules Governing Data Representation in the NLI.

Locality Name

A Locality may be a city, town, suburb, neighbourhood or commonly used location name such as a large agricultural property or railway siding. Also included are some commonly used alias or unofficial Locality names. Where a Locality crosses an S/T border, the two sides of the border are recorded as two separate Localities. For example Hall crosses the S/T border between New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory and is shown on the NLI as follows:

Locality Name
PI
PC1
PC2
S/T
Major SLA
2nd SLA (etc)
Major SLA Name

HALL
,
,2618
,
,1
,45058710
,
,YASS VALLEY (A)
HALL
,
,2618
,
,8
,05403689
,
,HALL


Property Indicator

The Property Indicator field was originally created to flag Localities that are properties (P) and/or Localities with no postal service (N). The N flag is no longer used as all Localities are now allocated a postcode. Current indicators in this field are:

P = property
S = railway siding
(blank) = default

Postcode 1 and Postcode 2


These fields record the Australia Post postcode(s) for the Locality. Generally Localities have only one postcode, however there are a small number of Localities where mail delivery is shared by two Post Offices. Recording the postcode in the National Localities Index helps to differentiate between Localities with the same name in the same State.

S/T Code

The S/T code indicates the State or Territory in which the Locality exists. Please refer to chapter 2, for more details on S/T.

ASGC Code Major SLA

The code of the Major SLA is an eight digit code made up of the Statistical Division (SD), Statistical Subdivision (SSD) and SLA codes. This eight digit code should be used in conjunction with the S/T code for unique Australia-wide identification of the SLA. For non-split Localities this is the only ASGC code. For split Localities the Major SLA is the SLA which contains the greatest number of streets for the Locality.

ASGC Codes 2nd to 8th SLAs

These fields are used for Localities which are in more than one SLA. The codes for each of these SLAs comprise eight digits made up of the SD, SSD and SLA codes. If a Locality is split all appropriate codes (up to eight) are listed against the Locality.

Major SLA Name

This is the SLA name for the ASGC code shown in the Major SLA field.

CODING TO STATISTICAL LOCAL AREA

In the diagram below, the localities labelled First Locality and Second Locality are shown bounded by dashed lines. They do not cross any S/T border.

First Locality is entirely within the boundary of SLA 1. It is not split and there will be no street records for it in the NLI Streets Sub-Index. The Localities Index record for First Locality will show one SLA code, i.e. all addresses in this Locality will have the same SLA code.

Second Locality shows a street pattern within it and one of the streets is named Split Street.

The boundary between SLA 1 and SLA 2 crosses through Second Locality and therefore this Locality is a split Locality. The NLI Localities Index shows both SLAs against the Locality record. SLA 1 will be the Major SLA as it has the largest number of streets for Second Locality.

All streets for Second Locality are contained in the Streets Sub-Index and are coded to the SLA(s) in which they lie.

The street named Split Street shown in the diagram, lies within both SLA 1 and SLA 2. It will have the relevant street number ranges recorded for each of the SLAs.
Image - The street named Split Street shown in the diagram, lies within both SLA 1 and SLA 2. It will have the relevant street number ranges recorded for each of the SLAs