4727.0.55.002 - Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey: Users' Guide, 2012-13  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 27/11/2013  First Issue
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Contents >> Population Characteristics >> Geographical classifications

GEOGRAPHIC CLASSIFICATIONS

Data from the 2012-13 Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey (AATSIHS) is output on the Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS), July 2011.

Note there are limits to the extent to which survey data can be compiled for detailed geographies, particularly those with smaller populations such as some Indigenous Regions and Medicare Locals. The ability of the survey to provide reliable estimates for these areas is dependent upon factors such as the number of persons sampled within a particular area and the level of disaggregation required (that is, the number of variables cross-classified/level of detail required for each variable).

Australian Statistical Geography Standard

The Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) provides a common framework of statistical geography used by the ABS to enable the publication of statistics that are comparable and spatially integrated.

Classification structures

The ASGS classification structures are split into two broad groups, the ABS Structures and the Non-ABS Structures.

The ABS Structures are six interrelated hierarchies of regions defined and maintained by the ABS. They are:

  • Main Structure
  • Indigenous Structure
  • Urban Centres and Localities/Section of State Structure
  • Remoteness Area Structure
  • Greater Capital City Statistical Area (GCCSA) Structure
  • Significant Urban Area Structure.

The Non-ABS Structures are eight hierarchies of regions which are not defined or maintained by the ABS, but for which the ABS is committed to providing a range of statistics. They generally represent administrative units such as Postcode and Local Government Areas. They are:
  • Local Government Areas (LGAs)
  • Postal Areas
  • State Suburbs
  • Commonwealth Electoral Divisions
  • State Electoral Divisions
  • Australian Drainage Divisions
  • Natural Resource Management Regions
  • Tourism Regions.

The basic spatial unit of the classification is the Mesh Block (MB). From these fundamental spatial units the main structure forms Statistical Area 1's (SA1s) which comprise one or more MBs. Under the hierarchical system of the ASGS, SA1s can be further grouped into larger units called Statistical Area 2's, Statistical Area 3's, and the largest grouping called Statistical Area 4's. At each level of the classification, the units in aggregate cover the whole of Australia without gaps or overlaps.

For the 2012-13 AATSIHS, responding households were coded to SA1s according to the July 2011 edition of the ASGS. Note there are limits to the extent to which survey data can be compiled for sub-state areas, particularity those with smaller populations. The ability of the survey to provide reliable estimates for sub-state areas is dependent upon factors such as the number of persons sampled within a particular area and the level of disaggregation required (that is, the number of variables cross-classified/level of detail required for each variable).

See Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) for more information.

In general, data from the AATSIHS can be output for the following geographic areas based on the ASGS:
  • Australia and state/territory
  • Greater Capital City Statistical Area
  • Section of State
  • Remoteness
  • Indigenous Regions.

Greater Capital City Statistical Area

Available for each state/territory. Each capital city is defined as the area covered by the relevant city Statistical Area 4's.

Section of State

In relation to the 2012-13 AATSIHS, the Section of State structure uses population counts from the 2011 Census of Population and Housing to classify SA1s as urban or rural. Within a state or territory, each Section of State represents an aggregation of non-contiguous geographical areas of a particular urban/rural type. The categories are:
  • Major Urban (urban centres with a population of 100,000 or more)
  • Other Urban (urban centres with a population between 1,000 and 99,999)
  • Bounded Locality (localities with a population of between 200 and 999)
  • Rural Balance (remainder of the state/territory).

Remoteness

The ASGS Remoteness classification is based on the Accessibility/Remoteness Index of Australia (ARIA), mapped to SA1s from the Census of Population and Housing. Each respondent was classified to one of the following categories, based on the SA1 in which they resided (and were enumerated):


ASGS remoteness category Index values

Major Cities of Australia0 up to and including 0.2
Inner Regional AustraliaGreater than 0.2 up to and including 2.4
Outer Regional AustraliaGreater than 2.4 up to and including 5.92
Remote AustraliaGreater than 5.92 up to and including 10.53
Very Remote AustraliaGreater than 10.53


Indigenous Regions

Indigenous Regions (IREGs) are large geographical units loosely based on the former Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission boundaries. For the 2011 Census 57 IREGs were defined to cover the whole of geographic Australia without crossing state and territory borders. These include non-spatial IREGs for 'Migratory - Offshore - Shipping' and 'No Usual Address' in each state and territory for which SA1s of the same name are allocated. All remaining SA1s are allocated to a spatial IREG and respondents are classified to an IREG based on the SA1 in which they reside. See Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS): Volume 2 - Indigenous Structure (cat. no. 1270.0.55.002) for more information.

Medicare Locals

Medicare Locals (MLs) have not been incorporated into the Non-ABS Structures of the 2011 ASGS. These public health geographic areas have been developed by the Australian Government for reporting purposes of the National Health Reform Performance and Accountability Framework. For AATSIHS, SA1s have been allocated between the 61 Medicare Locals across Australia. For analysis purposes, these MLs have been grouped into seven peer groups by the National Health Performance Authority (in conjunction with the ABS). Each peer group contains MLs with populations of similar remoteness and socioeconomic status to allow for more appropriate comparisons to be made. More information can be found at http://www.medicarelocals.gov.au, or, for peer group design information, at http://www.nhpa.gov.au.



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