1300.1.55.001 - Statistics News NSW, Sep 2007  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 27/09/2007   
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Review of Statistical Geography StandardsREVIEW OF STATISTICAL GEOGRAPHY STANDARDS


The Australian Bureau of Statistics is reviewing the Australian Standard Geographical Classification (ASGC). Earlier this year a panel of ABS and non-ABS experts was convened to generate ideas, and a first round of consultation took place in all capital cities. As a result the ABS has now developed a proposal for a new Australian Statistical Geography, which is detailed in an information paper: Review of the Australian Standard Geographic Classification, 2007 (cat. no. 1216.0.55.001). The information paper is available free from the ABS web site.

The proposal brings together all the geographical boundaries used by the ABS, and the most significant changes are:
  • existing structures have been simplified and now all the geographic areas are built up from mesh blocks
  • a hierarchy of new statistical units will be developed based on the identification of 'functional areas', and these units are expected to be more stable than the existing ASGC structures
  • existing units such as Census Collection Districts and Statistical Local Areas will no longer exist
  • meshblock based concordances to commonly used geographies such as local government areas, suburbs, electorates and postcodes will be published annually, while the ASGC publication itself will only be updated in Census years.

Comments are invited on the paper and can be submitted before Friday 5 October 2007 by emailing geography@abs.gov.au.