APPENDIX 1 ASGS AND THE AVAILABILITY OF SUB-STATE BIRTH STATISTICS
THE AUSTRALIAN STATISTICAL GEOGRAPHY STANDARD (ASGS)
From July 2011, the ABS will be replacing the nation's official statistical geography, the Australian Standard Geographical Classification (ASGC), with the new Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS). The ASGS will define more stable, consistent and meaningful areas than the ASGC and will become the essential reference for understanding and interpreting the geographical context of ABS statistics. Current ASGC regions such as the Census Collection Districts (CDs), Statistical Local Areas (SLAs), and Statistical Divisions (SDs) will be replaced by the new Statistical Areas Levels 1 to 4 (SA1 - SA4). For more information about the ASGS, including boundary maps, labels and codes, see Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS): Volume 1 - Main Structure and Greater Capital City Statistical Areas, July 2011 (cat. no. 1270.0.55.001).
BIRTH STATISTICS UNDER THE ASGS
From 2011 onwards, the SA2 will be the base spatial unit used to prepare and disseminate sub-state birth statistics.
The first set of birth statistics under the ASGS will be prepared for 2011 data and released in October 2012 in Births, Australia (cat. no. 3301.0). This release will contain a time series of birth statistics for the new geography, as well as birth statistics based on the old geography. Sub-state birth statistics for 2012 onwards will only be prepared and released on the ASGS.
As LGA population estimates are regarded as a crucial ABS output, LGA birth statistics will continue to be prepared post 2011. The boundaries on which these statistics will be prepared on will be updated each year, in line with official gazetted boundaries.
SA2 birth statistics will be apportioned to SA1s, which can then be aggregated to form ABS structures such as Indigenous Regions and Remoteness Areas which make up part of the ASGS. Selected statistics based on these regions will be released on the website, or available on request.
The change in geographic classification means there will be an unavoidable break in time series. To assist users with this break in time series, the ABS plans to prepare historical birth statistics under the new geography. The length of this time series depends on the geographic level or the type of birth statistic. Time series will be released as part of the first releases of ASGS birth statistics in October 2012.
A set of correspondences (concordances) will also be available to assist users in converting data from one geography to another. For a list of correspondences that the ABS intends to release, please see the Frequently Asked Questions link from the Geography Portal.
The ABS has also released an Information Paper: Population Estimates under Australia's New Statistical Geography, August 2011 (cat. no. 3219.0.55.001) on 26 August 2011. This includes more information about the future of population estimates, the length of historical time series and the methodology used to prepare population estimates under the ASGS.
Quality Declaration 
Print Page
Print All