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THE STRUCTURE

Incorporated areas only

The LGA Structure covers only incorporated areas of Australia. Incorporated areas are legally designated parts of states and territories 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, most of the Northern Territory and all of the Australian Capital Territory and the Other Territories.

In Population Census years the LGA Structure has four levels of hierarchy, in ascending order these are: CDs-SLAs-LGAs-S/Ts (Incorporated Areas). In non-census years CDs are not defined and consequently the LGA Structure has only three levels: SLAs-LGAs-S/Ts (Incorporated Areas). The spatial units in each level relate to each other in a straightforward manner: LGAs comprise one or more whole SLAs and SLAs comprise one or more whole CDs.

Processing LGAs for the ASGC

LGAs are proclaimed by state and territory government authorities and changes are gazetted throughout the year. The ABS has broadened the categories of legislation used to define local government areas for statistical purposes, to include the Indigenous Council areas in the states and Northern Territory.

LGAs are used as the base on which SLAs are defined. Because this definition process takes time, LGAs gazetted during the year leading up to an ASGC edition cannot always be included in that edition. For instance, complex LGA changes which result in complicated redesign of SLAs, or changes gazetted too close to the effective date of 1 July of an ASGC edition, may have to be included in a later edition.

Table

The current LGA Structure, down to SLA level, is shown in Chapter 15, The Classification Structures.

For example:

• Local Government Areas and Statistical Local Areas - Alphabetic

For example: