Local Government Areas (LGA)
The 2020 Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) edition of the Local Government Areas (LGAs) structure includes updates to the definitions of local government boundaries that have occurred prior to June 2020 . This updates the 2019 edition of Local Government Areas released in the ASGS Volume 3 - Non ABS Structures, July 2019. It includes gazetted changes to local governments which have occurred in New South Wales.
The ASGS Local Government Areas are an ABS approximation of gazetted local government boundaries as defined by each State and Territory Local Government Department. Local Government Areas cover incorporated areas of Australia. Incorporated areas are legally designated parts of a State or Territory over which incorporated local governing bodies have responsibility. The major areas of Australia not administered by incorporated bodies are the northern parts of South Australia, and all of the Australian Capital Territory and the Other Territories. These regions are identified as ‘Unincorporated’ in the ASGS Local Government Areas structure.
More information on local governments can be found at the Australian Local Government Association website: http://www.alga.asn.au
Methodology
The boundaries produced for Local Government Areas are constructed from allocations of whole Mesh Blocks. The ABS will review the Local Government Areas annually and changes will be applied by inclusion or exclusion of whole Mesh Blocks.
For the 2020 ASGS, there are 562 ABS defined Local Government Areas, including Unincorporated areas.
Local Government Area Names
Local Government Area names are abbreviated in this structure. A suffix also indicates the Local Government Area status. Examples of these include:
- City of Albury: Albury (C)
- District Council of Copper Coast: Copper Coast (DC)
Where the same Local Government Area name appears in different States or Territories, the State or Territory abbreviation appears in parenthesis after the name. Local Government Area names are therefore unique.
In all States and the Northern Territory each incorporated area has an official status. In this ASGS edition, the various Local Government Area status types include:
- New South Wales: Cities (C) and Areas (A)
- Victoria: Cities (C), Rural Cities (RC), Boroughs (B) and Shires (S)
- Queensland: Cities (C), Shires (S), Towns (T) and Regional Councils (R)
- South Australia: Cities (C), Rural Cities (RC), Municipalities/Municipal Councils (M), District Councils (DC), Regional Councils (RegC), Towns (T) and Aboriginal Councils (AC)
- Western Australia: Cities (C), Towns (T) and Shires (S)
- Tasmania: Cities (C) and Municipalities (M)
- Northern Territory: Cities (C), Towns (T), Municipalities (M) and Shires (S).
Local Government Area Coding Structure
Local Government Areas are identified by four digit codes. Codes are unique only within a State or Territory. For unique Australia-wide Local Government Area code identification, the four digit code must be preceded by the State or Territory code. All Local Government Area codes end with the digit 0.
The codes used for the 2020 Local Government Areas may not match those used in 2019 in some instances. Changes to codes occur where a Local Government Area is abolished or changes significantly. The previous code will be retired and the replacement Local Government Area will be given a new code. A geographic correspondences file enabling the translation of data from 2019 to 2020 LGAs is available in the downloads tab of this publication.
Non-spatial special purpose codes are included as balancing items. Mesh Blocks allocated to these codes are not part of Local Government Area.
- LGA code 9799 is reserved for cases where people are coded to Migratory, Off-shore and Shipping Mesh Blocks.
- LGA code 9499 is reserved for cases where people are coded to No usual address Mesh Blocks.
Example:
|
| State Name | State Code | Local Government
Area Code | Local Government Area Name |
|
| Queensland | 3 | 31000 | Brisbane (C) |
| Queensland | 3 | 31750 | Bulloo (S) |
| Queensland | 3 | 31820 | Bundaberg (R) |
| Queensland | 3 | 31900 | Burdekin (S) |
| Queensland | 3 | 32080 | Cairns (R) |
| Queensland | 3 | 32250 | Carpentaria (S) |
| Queensland | 3 | 32260 | Cassowary Coast (R) |
| Queensland | 3 | 39799 | Migratory - Offshore - Shipping (Qld) |
| Queensland | 3 | 39499 | No usual address (Qld) |
|
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