Overview
The Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) is a collection of geographic boundaries for the analysis of statistical data. It is used by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) and other organisations to publish, compare and analyse statistics from a geospatial perspective. The first edition was released in 2011 and replaced the previous Australian Standard Geographical Classification (ASGC).
This paper outlines key changes that will be applied to the Australian Statistical Geography Standard – Edition 3 (ASGS Ed. 3), due for publication in mid-2021. Changes have been identified via public consultation and as a result of routine review.
Key outcomes
- Both Urban Centres and Localities (UCLs) and Remoteness Areas will be produced using the same methodology as in previous editions.
- An experimental release of UCLs and Remoteness Areas will be created using new methodology. This will not be part of the official ASGS Ed. 3.
- SA1 and SA2 geographies will use full length hierarchical codes as the primary unique identifier. The shortened version of codes will no longer be a primary identification key. Support will be available to users who need to transition away from using short codes.
- ASGS Ed. 3 will use the Geocentric Datum of Australia 2020 (GDA2020).
- Commonwealth Electoral Divisions and State Electoral Divisions will now be constructed from Mesh Blocks rather than SA1s.
- Destination Zones will be officially included as part of the Non ABS ASGS Structures.
- Natural Resource Management Regions (NRMRs) are not currently planned to be included in ASGS Ed. 3.
Public consultation
In 2019, the ABS conducted public consultation on the ASGS via the ABS Consultation Hub. Survey questions asked for feedback on proposed changes, as well as information on how stakeholders use the ASGS. The consultation survey was open for 7 weeks, closing on 15 July 2019. In this time, a total of 75 submissions were received. A breakdown of responses can be found at the
ABS Consultation Hub.
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